Frozen Summer
by Sherra-sama
Summary: Here's chapter 10! Please R&R!
1. The beginning

Chapter 1  
  
~Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or any of the characters. If I did I wouldn't be writing fics about it. Slayers is owned by extremely lucky and wealthy people, not me, so don't sue. If, for some reason, you decide to flame me, the flames will be used on marshmallows for Phibby's s'mores. Phibby: ^o^ yay!! Either way, on with the fic!!  
  
"Humans and Ryuuzoku both are clumsy, weak creatures who let their emotions get in the way. We will rise above that. As Mazoku, we are stronger. Your emotions will become obsolete. Life is a play and we are actors in it. Your part mustn't be flawed in any way, shape, or form. Play out your part correctly, and glory and success are yours. Failure is unacceptable. Never forget that. Ever."  
  
The Dynast leaned back in his throne and sighed. Those were the exact words spoken by Lord Ruby-Eye after he had given his five dark generals their titles. After all those millennia, he remembered it still, clear as crystal. Every detail was etched into his memory. They had done everything correctly. Or had they? Lord Ruby-Eye's plan was meticulously followed, each step carefully carried out, but they had inarguably failed.  
  
Hellmaster's death was only one piece of evidence. Gaav had turned against the monster race. Phibrizzo decided that he'd be better off dead. The Hellmaster was the kind of person that didn't take care of his own problems personally if he didn't have to. So he borrowed the Lesser Beast, Xelloss to do the dirty work. That went smoothly, until Lina Inverse cast the Giga Slave correctly. Phibrizzo didn't stand a chance against the Golden Lord.  
  
While that had been happening, Grausherra had been quietly taking over the Dilss kingdom in the North. That had also been going smoothly. Then that Swordsman of Light, Gourry Gabriev, killed his General, Sherra. Naturally, Dynast had then stepped forward, and that sorceress had nearly killed him. Nearly. He had retreated into the Astral Plane, but it had taken a couple of days for him to even consider taking on his physical form again.  
  
He had been that badly wounded. His two priests, Grau and Grou, had helped him, and they quickly went about to cast the spell that would resurrect Sherra, but L-sama evidently had other plans, because Sherra's soul had already been reborn into another body. The lack of a Hellmaster had made it a living nightmare to track down her soul. In fact, it was nearly impossible. It had taken five years of searching to find her. They had found her, though, way south of the desert of destruction, in the Outer World. Her memories as a Mazoku sealed away, she had no idea who she really was.  
  
It took them so long to figure out how to find her. The answer was obvious, and Grausherra had literally beaten his head against the wall when it dawned on him. Dolgoufa. What else would be able to track her down but her own sword? One that is notorious for turning souls to darkness, no less. Dolgoufa knew her aura better than anyone; it was around her waist practically her whole life. The sword took its sweet time to find her though, nearly a week, but when it did there was no mistaking it. Of course, when she was discovered, she was only about five years old. They would have to wait for her to mature. Ten years, and he could reclaim what was (and technically still is) his.  
  
Ten years...  
  
  
  
((Mwa! I'm stopping here!! Please R&R, minna-san!! ^_^)) 


	2. A game of chess! The attack of the freak...

~Disclaimer. I don't own Slayers. If I did, I'd be making new seasons instead of fanfics.  
  
A/N: I called her Renee because it means "reborn." Nifty, ne? Anyway, on with Chapter 2!  
  
  
  
Ten years later. (Gee, I wonder what's gonna happen?)  
  
A little Midnight blue haired boy glared across the table at his twin brother, who mirrored his expression. "It's your turn," the first boy said. "No kidding," the second snapped. "My, my, aren't we cranky today? Have you eaten lately, Grau?"The first queried. Grau glared at his identical twin. "I suppose not, then," the first boy chuckled, "take your turn." Grau moved the piece over, and looked at his twin. "Check. I win, Grou." Grou sweat dropped. He'd overlooked that move. "So you have...hmmm...what'cha wanna do now?" Grau leaned forward and reached for the pieces. "Why does this table have to be so big?? I can barely reach the middle!!" he whined. Grou climbed up to the tabletop and pushed the pieces toward his twin. "This table is made for adults, not 8-year-olds."  
  
As Grau swept the pieces into their satin bag he glanced at the clock. "Grou, it's time to go; Lord Dynast said that we should leave around noon, and it's 11:45, that's close enough. "'Kay," Grou replied. The two of them summoned their staffs to them and teleported to the Throne Room. "My Lord, we are leaving now. Do you have any further orders?" Grou asked. Grausherra glanced up at them from his scrying glass. "No, nothing has changed. Proceed as planned. That is all." Grau grinned, "Alright, then. We're off!!"  
  
The two of them vanished in a whirl of midnight blue. The Dynast grinned down at the image in the glass. Soon. Very soon, he'd reclaim what is his.  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
On a grassy hilltop near the town of Rygana, two young boys materialized out of thin air. Casting a quick glance about, they determined that no one had seen them materialize. After quickly scanning the Astral Plane, they were satisfied that no one had followed them. They made a brief moment of eye contact and started toward the town.  
  
************ *************** ****************** *******************  
  
Renee Batai froze. 'That presence again...' she thought. "Renee, what's wrong?" one of her friends asked. "N-nothing. It's nothing," she responded. 'What is it? And why does it feel so familiar?' she thought. It felt like someone she knew well, but no matter how hard she strained her memory, she couldn't put her finger on exactly who, even though she felt like she really should. It was eerie. Sometimes she felt like someone was watching her, but that had a different feel to her. She felt as she ought to remember what that was too. But she never could. She'd clear her mind and concentrate for hours, but always in vain.  
  
Those presences had cloaked themselves efficiently. She felt that if she could learn some stronger magic, she'd be able to track it down. To do that she'd have to travel north, past where the Barrier used to be. She used to ask about just what the "barrier" was, but her teachers said she'd learn about it when she was older. Here she was, age fifteen, and they still wouldn't talk about it. Every time she'd try to broach the subject of going north, her parents would obstanately refuse to even talk about it, like there was some horrible demon waiting up there to devour unwitting travelers. Her mind flashed over to the childhood tales of demons bent on destroying the world who could kill a human just by thinking about it. She shivered. There was no way that such creatures could possibly exist. Every teenager with coherent thought knew that that stuff was just to scare small, dumb children. A small voice in the back of her head, however, was saying just the opposite. The presence, no, presences, was coming closer. There were two of them? Renee concentrated for a moment. She had never noticed before, but there were two. The presences were nearly identical, but there were distinctly two.  
  
"Have you heard about those monsters that have been attacking nearby villages?" That comment snapped Renee out of her reverie. "Monsters?" she asked. "Yeah," her friend said, "big, ugly disfigured things. They appear out of nowhere and just destroy the town and kill as many villagers as they can. And you know the strangest part?" The girl began to speak with more confidence now that she had the whole group's attention. "What?" a boy asked. "Well," she continued, "they say that swords and other mundane weapons have absolutely no effect on them. It's like they're just images and the real monster is elsewhere. You can stab it, or slice it in half, and it just regenerates, no problem." A chill went up Renee's spine. "Isn't that scary? If one was to attack us, we'd be defenseless. There'd be nothing we could do," the girl said. "There's gotta be a way to kill it," the boy said, "I bet you have to use magic. We could just kill it with a fireball."  
  
Renee frowned. She had been reading all the books on magic she could get her hands on, which wasn't very many, in hopes of finding a good spell. From what they'd said, it sounded like the monster could use magic, and it had to be somewhat high if it could regenerate. She doubted a volley of fireballs, let alone one, could scratch it, and that was the strongest offensive spell the people in this village could use.  
  
As if on cue, screaming could be heard from the village square. The group rushed forward, only to find two of afore mentioned monsters contentedly destroying the village square and killing people. "..."was all they could say. The monsters looked up at the group of teenagers. "We found the one the Dynast has been searching for. Kill her," one of the monsters ordered the other. Said "other" chuckled evilly. "With pleasure" Cries of "eew! They can talk!" and "WHAT did it say?!?" could be heard before the teens decided to turn tail and run. 'Shit,' Renee mentally cursed, 'what do those things want? Who are they after?' She shunted those thoughts to the side and concentrated on running as fast as she could.  
  
  
  
Grau and Grou were leisurely looking around the village for their "little sister to be,"  
  
Sherra's reincarnation, when they heard the screaming. A wave of fear and intense pain, followed by panicky terror hit them. "Well," Grou said to his brother, "what will your excuse for being cranky be now that we've had a chance to eat?" "I sense other Mazoku here..." was Grau's response. "...You're right...why would they... be... here...oh no..." The two of them came to the same conclusion simultaneously. "Sherra-chan!!" They quickly teleported over to the source of the pain and anguish.  
  
  
  
They teleported into one of the few trees left standing. They quickly found the Mazoku, and Sherra not long after. One of them was trying to kill her. "Oh, no you don't," Grou hissed as he teleported to her and teleported her out of there. Needless to say, the girl was surprised and scared senseless. "Wha-"she said, but was cut off when Grou teleported again when the demon had tried to attack again. 'What a moron,' Grou thought, 'he has no idea who he's up against.' "Who are you?" the mazoku demanded, irritated at how easily Grou was evading his every attack. It never occurred to it that maybe, just maybe, it should scan the astral plane for its new opponents' power signatures. While Grou was getting Sherra out of the way, Grau was busily casting a spell:  
  
"Supreme King of the frozen soul  
  
Grant me the power of your icy rage.  
  
Dynast Breath."  
  
At the last two words, ice shot out of his staff and encased the two demons in an icy prison. Grau held the ice for a few seconds, then swung his staff, causing the ice to shatter into a billion sparkling shards, taking the mazoku with it. "Well, that's that," Grau announced. He turned toward his brother and called out, "Heeey!! Are you two okay?"  
  
"We're fine!!" Grou yelled back. Renee (also known as Sherra, if you haven't already figured it out) looked from Grau to Grou. She was visibly shaken. 'How did they DO that? What kind of a spell was that? How did he teleport like that?' she thought. Those two presences from before belonged to these two. She looked at them again. Their faces seemed familiar somehow, but she couldn't remember from where. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded. Grau and Grou sweatdropped. "Well, that's a long story..." Grou began.  
  
For the next hour or so, Grou and Grau explained as much to Renee as they cared to, which was pretty much everything. They just left out things that would be a little over her head at the moment, and things they were not at liberty to say. "Wait a minute," she said. "You're saying that I was reincarnated? Who was I before? And who is that Dynast person that those things mentioned?" The twins glanced uncomfortably at each other.  
  
Sitting in the ruins of the village, Renee looked around. "Hey...where is everyone?" She abruptly asked. Grau and Grou looked around. "I'd say that they're either dead or running from the village as fast as they can screaming bloody murder all the way," Grau said.  
  
"If you'd like," Grou began, " we can try to break the seal on your memories. I doubt anyone would be able to shatter it, but we can try to crack it a little, and the memories from before should surface a little. What do you think? Do you want to try it?" Renee frowned. She was anxious to find out what this was all about, but something was bothering her. "Will it hurt?" she asked. "I believe not." Grau replied. Renee paused. Something told her she could trust them. "Alright, then! Let's do this!" Grau and Grou grinned at each other. The first part of their mission was a success.  
  
(All done. No more for this chapter. ^_^) 


	3. The memory seal! Return of the freakish...

~Accursed Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers or any of its characters. I do own, however, this particular version of Grau and Grou. (Their appearance and character are totally of my creation.) Not that it really matters; I won't make any money off of it...snif...  
  
Author's notes: This took me a little longer to update than planned...  
  
Phibby: That's 'cause you're lazy!!  
  
Author: Hush, you!! Thanks for the reviews!! I thrive on reviews! Thank you GUTB for telling me about that little problem with Grau and the Dynast Breath. I don't think that that's entirely true, though. Zelgadis is part mazoku and he can cast black magic spells without dying. And I don't think that the Dynast would kill off his servant like that...(shrugs) Oh, and there's a little technical problem with the chess game in chapter 2, as well...I meant to say "checkmate," not "check." Alright, I think that that is about it...oh! Flames will be used as hellfire in Hell, since Phibby ran out of matches.  
  
Phibby: If you'd take me to a store, I'd be able to "buy" some...  
  
Author: I am NOT gonna take you to the store.  
  
Phibby: We'll see about that...  
  
  
  
*here begins the third installment of our story.*  
  
  
  
"Okay, so what exactly are you two gonna do to me?" Renee asked. She was a little nervous, and who wouldn't be? Those kids were gonna mess around with her head.  
  
"Well," Grou began, "We are going to cast a spell that can break memory seals, but since yours was sealed in-between lives, I seriously doubt that we are going to be able to actually shatter the thing. When someone is reincarnated, the memory seal is so strong it isn't funny. I think that a few hairline cracks is all that we'll be able to accomplish, but it's better than nothing." "You won't remember very much of anything," Grau added, "but you should remember enough to answer most of your questions." "How does that work?" Renee asked, "'I won't remember very much of anything, but I should remember enough to answer most of my questions?' That doesn't make any sense!" "Sure it does," Grou chirped, "you just have to make sense of it!" "What?" Renee asked, now thoroughly confused. "Don't worry about it," Grau said soothingly, "Grou, we need a place to draw out the diagram for the spell. Somewhere big and flat...somewhere those things haven't destroyed..."  
  
The two of them began to scout for a suitable place to cast the spell, leaving Renee by herself in the ruins of the village. She mentally gathered everything they had been inclined to tell her, which wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her. She had been reincarnated from a former life. In her previous life, she had worked for someone called "Dynast." She jerked. That was the person those monsters had said had been searching for her. But why was he searching for her? Maybe she'd figure it out when Grau and Grou cast that spell on her. That was another thing. Those two gave her a serious sense of déjà vu. It was really creepy; she felt like she had known them forever. Normally she felt uncomfortable around strangers, but she was completely at ease with these two. They were obviously identical twins, and were indistinguishable from one another except for one tiny detail that was anything but subtle. Their eyes were two different colors. Grau had violet eyes, and Grou had yellow eyes, and both were always very expressive. Simply put, they were both open books. Another thing that creeped her out a little was that they were very mature at times, but then they'd snap back to their normal eight-year-old selves. It was weird. They had also told her that she had been very adept at swordplay in her previous life. Not fencing, but swordplay. She felt a tingle go up her spine. How had they known that much? There was no way they could know that much; they were too young. Weren't they? She shivered again as her mind went back to those childhood stories about those demons. This was way too coincidental. What if-  
  
"Hey! Renee!" Grau's voice floated across the village square, snapping Renee out of her train of thought. "We found a place! Come here!" She craned her neck to see behind her better. She could see Grau waving at her about 300 feet away. Grou was stooped down behind him, occupied with drawing something. She got up and ran over. Grou was meticulously drawing out a diagram of some sort, all full of strange designs, letters and symbols that were completely alien to her. She figured it was the magical diagram they had mentioned earlier. "We need to draw this stupid thing out because we have to have something for the magic to focus onto," Grau quickly explained. "I see..." Renee said, transfixed as she watched Grou quickly finish the diagram. They had rushed it, but all of the circles were perfect, as though they had used a compass. Everything looked like it was in perfect proportion. Very impressive.  
  
"We need you to stand in the middle, close your eyes, and clear your mind. Try not to think about anything; it'll be easier on all of us that way," Grou instructed. Renee wordlessly walked into the middle of the diagram, and stood there, eyes closed, trying to clear her mind. Grau and Grou silently waited until the rush of emotions that were usually present in her subsided to a mere murmur. Raw black energy rushed up from the ground around them, and they cast the spell. It didn't have an incantation. Renee felt something deep inside of her that had been chained down and locked away suddenly burst free and a rush of emotions and memories hit her head-on, fading just as suddenly as they had hit the overwhelmed teen. Only a scarce few had escaped imprisonment, the rest having been seized by some unknown force and forced back into confinement. The diagram magically disappeared, and the raw energy surrounding Grau and Grou faded. Dizzily, Renee opened her eyes. 'Everything is so blurry,' she thought before blacking out.  
  
"Oh my L-sama! We killed her!" Grou yelled when Renee fainted. "No we didn't, baka, she just fainted." Grau replied as he walked over to her prone form. He turned her onto her back. "The surge of memories must have been too much for her," Grou said. "I wonder how many stayed with her?" Grau thought aloud. "Probably not very many," Grou said, "we should take her to the Northern Footholds now." "Yeah," Grau agreed as he levitated her. The three of them teleported away, leaving no evidence that they had been there.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile at the Northern Footholds, the three remaining Dark Lords where having a little family reunion...well, actually, Zelas and Dolphin were having a bit of a spat...  
  
"I can smoke if I want to!" Zelas yelled.  
  
"No! Smoke bothers Fluffy and me!" Dolphin cried as she pet the catfish she had brought with her.  
  
"I'm gonna eat that catfish if you don't get it out of my face."  
  
"NOOOO!! You can't eat Fluffy! I won't let you!"  
  
"Oh? And how are you gonna stop me?"  
  
"...I'll flood your island!"  
  
"If you do, I'll send jellyfish and sea cucumbers to fight all over your glass palace."  
  
"NO!"  
  
"And besides, how will you're flooding the island stop me from eating your fish?"  
  
"If you know I'm gonna mess up your island, you won't eat Fluffy!" Fluffy wriggled in agreement.  
  
"I'll eat it anyway. I'm hungry, and that place needs to be cleaned anyway."  
  
"NOOOO!!!"  
  
Grausherra sweatdropped as he stared at them in disbelief; they had been going on like that for an hour.  
  
  
  
A few wings away...  
  
Grau and Grou shimmered into view, Renee's unconscious form in tow. They put her onto the bed in the room, and quickly scanned the castle to locate their lord's aura. After a few seconds they located it, but there was a small problem. "Beastmaster and Deep Sea Dolphin are visiting," Grou said. "We'd be in so much trouble if we just barged on in there..." Grau trailed off. The twins looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
"I guess Lord Dynast can wait a little bit before coming to see Renee..."  
  
"And he doesn't need to know that we knocked her out on accident..."  
  
".............I'm hungry."  
  
Grou sweatdropped. "You're hungry? Again? ......actually, I'm kind of hungry, too..." "Let's find something to eat." "What about Renee?" "She'll be fine in here, and if she wakes up, we'll feel the surge of emotion." "True...okay! Let's go!!"  
  
Grau and Grou disappeared in a navy blur, leaving the unconscious girl alone in the room.  
  
  
  
A few moments later, a pair of so-ugly-it-must-be-a-very-low-level-mazoku faces appeared outside of the window of the room that Grau and Grou had just departed from. They peered around cautiously, verifying that the room contained only one sentient being, who was quite unconscious. They teleported into the room, and examined their new surroundings. "I can't believe our luck! They left the room, and they didn't bother to leave a guard for the girl!! Let's take her, and get out of here!" the first exclaimed. "Ooh! Look at that sword. We can use it," the second said, stepping forward and scooped up the black and white hilted sword with its ivory scabbard. The first mazoku picked Renee up and the two of them teleported out of the castle.  
  
  
  
*End chapter*  
  
Author: Ahh!! Phibby!! Stop!!! No more!!  
  
Phibby: *Irresistible kawaii face of doom.* Ha ha ha!! No one can resist my charm!!!  
  
Author: @.@ 


	4. How does someone eat five gallons of ice...

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers.  
  
A/N: YES!! FINALS ARE OVER!! *does happy freedom dance* I meant to type this up earlier, but I had to cram for finals. Either way, here's Chapter 4. Please R&R!! You already know my many uses for flames.  
  
***  
  
  
  
The first thing Renee felt when she came to was the cold. So very cold. She hadn't been aware it could even get this cold. Groggily, she opened her eyes. Everything was blurry. She blinked a few times, and her surroundings came into focus. She was in a dimly lit cave, far enough in to not see the entrance. "I'm probably in a cavern, deep in a network," she thought. There were a lot of caves back home. Shivering, she tried to get to her feet, only to get dizzy and nauseous. She settled back down, mentally cursing her thin garments for not being warm. Dimly, she wondered how she had gotten into this freezing cave, and what had become of Grau and Grou. She was about to make another attempt at getting up when she heard voices.  
  
"I still can't believe we got her out of that fortress undetected. This is way too easy."  
  
"Relax. No one was there. We weren't detected. Let's just kill the girl now before she is missed. Where did you put that sword?"  
  
Renee felt as if a ton of lead had dropped into her stomach. "They...they are going to kill me," she thought, "I've gotta get out of here!" Panicking, Renee tried to crawl away, but her arms collapsed like jelly. Panting, she laid there, trying to figure out what to do. Frantically, she tried to calm her breathing. She took a couple of deep breaths, and the adrenaline subsided a little. She got into a sitting position. She could hear the people that had been talking across the cavern. They were rummaging through something, searching for the sword, and the noise emitted from them resonated off the cavern walls. As far as she could tell, they hadn't noticed that she was awake. Shaking, she pulled her eyes away from them. Her gaze fell upon a sword incased in its ivory sheath next to some leather sacks not three feet away from her. Trembling, she reached for it.  
  
~~~scene change!!~~~  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Grau and Grou had been busily eating all the ice cream they could get their hands on. They were halfway through their fifth gallon when Grou noticed that something wasn't quite right.  
  
"Hey..."  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"Renee's aura is gone...oh, shimatta..."  
  
Grau choked on his ice cream. "Oh, L-sama, we are gonna be in so much trouble when Dynast-sama finds out!!"  
  
The twins teleported to the room where they had last seen Renee. Just as they had feared, she was nowhere to be seen and her aura had completely disappeared from the citadel. Grou walked over to the nightstand. "Hey, where'd Dolgoufa go?" he asked. "It's gone, too! Dynast-sama is gonna be so mad when he finds out!" Grau whined.  
  
"Find out what?" an all too familiar voice suspiciously asked from behind them. Grau and Grou spun around to face their lord, both sporting huge sweatdrops. "Ah, well you see," Grau began, his sweatdrop growing larger. "Where is the girl?" Dynast asked, his patience wearing thin. "We lost her and Dolgoufa is gone too and we don't know where they are or who took them," Grou blurted out.  
  
There was a pregnant pause as Grausherra processed this information. "Tell me, just HOW did you lose her, especially since I gave you specific orders to keep an eye on her? What were you doing that had you so engrossed that you failed to notice someone kidnapping not only her but Dolgoufa as well?" The Dynast was about ready to beat his priests to an inch of their lives. It would be foolish for him to beat them, though. He may need them in the near future, and they wouldn't be of much use if they were injured. If they had been lesser minions, it would be different. He'd have to think up a mind-numbing task or two for them to do. But his first priority would be to locate Dolgoufa and the girl. He could easily locate them because of the oryhalcon metal in the sword.  
  
***and again***  
  
Dolgoufa had been in a deep sleep when it felt someone unsheathe it. It was drowsy at first but quickly came to its senses. It felt for the aura of the person who was handling it to see who they were. If it had a mouth, it would have smiled. It was Sherra's reincarnation; there was no doubt about that. Given its rather unusual talents one of its fortes was identifying auras, or spirits, rather. Lady Sherra and Lord Dynast were the only individuals who it ever obeyed. It was rather picky when it came to choosing its master. Renee was staring transfixedly at its thin, black blade. It seemed familiar to her somehow. Then it hit her. This was her sword, that she was sure of. She delicately ran a finger down its blade, but quickly withdrew it when she made a neat slice on her index finger. She gritted her teeth to keep from squeaking. It stung like only a small cut can, and a blood seeped from the cut. It ran down her finger. Had the cave been more brightly lit, she would have been alarmed to discover that her blood was gradually darkening at a very slow pace.  
  
Dolgoufa did its equivalent of a wide smile. (That would be a mental smile.) Considering how small the cut was, and how quickly she'd removed her finger, she'd be a Mazoku by next dawn, nearly eight hours away. It felt Lord Dynast's aura coming closer at a considerable pace. It strengthened its astral presence a little so the Dynast could pinpoint their location.  
  
Meanwhile, the lesser Mazoku had finally noticed that Renee was conscious and alert, and that she was holding the sword they had been seeking. They ran over at an inhuman speed in an attempt to surprise her. It worked, but they had underestimated Dolgoufa. Even though the bulk of its power was locked away, it could still perform a wide variety of wicked black magic attack spells. When the two lesser demons had rushed up at her, Renee had instinctively swung Dolgoufa in an arc, and much to her surprise, bolts of fire shot out of the sword, forcing the lesser demons to teleport out of the way or be annihilated by the attack. The demons reappeared and began to counterattack, but were suddenly incinerated by lightening that had streamed up from a pentagram that had suddenly appeared on the floor. The shock of the most current events to happen to her, plus the exhaustion that had resulted from the spell Grau and Grou had cast on her was too much for her, and she fainted, Dolgoufa still tightly clutched in her right hand.  
  
Dynast materialized in his human form, a handsome young man of about eighteen in a black tunic with golden trim, black pants, black boots, shoulder guards to match his tunic, and a white cloak. He had a very lordly feeling about him, and his eyes gazed with a cold harshness. He walked over to the unconscious girl and regarded her for a moment before resheathing Dolgoufa and scooping her up. He cast one final glance about the room before teleporting them back to his home in the Northern Footholds.  
  
$$$^_^$$$  
  
He reappeared in the room adjacent to his. He decided that it would be wise if he personally kept an eye on the girl until she was able to defend herself properly. Grau and Grou had placed protective wards in this room. He laid her on the ivory-white silken sheets of the bed and covered her. 'Wouldn't want her to get hypothermia,' he thought with a wry smile. He frowned when he noticed that she was already becoming a mazoku. He cast a questioning glance at Dolgoufa.  
  
'She cut herself.'  
  
"My, my," Grausherra said aloud, "so, you finally woke up?"  
  
'Jeez, you're acting like I've never taken a nap before.'  
  
"You were asleep for three years; that's hardly a nap."  
  
... Dolgoufa decided to ignore that comment. 'It is a miniscule cut, unfortunately, so it'll be a couple hours before she is one of us.'  
  
Dolgoufa fell silent when Renee stirred, but she didn't wake.  
  
"...Did you find out who was behind this...incident?" Dynast continued his interrogation.  
  
'Fraid not, Dynast-sama. They didn't talk much when I was awake; they mostly just attacked. By the way, how did they get past Grau and Grou?'  
  
The Dynast's eye twitched. "They left her unguarded while they ate about five gallons of ice cream."  
  
'Ooh, that wasn't the smartest thing they've ever done. How are you going to punish them this time? '  
  
Grau and Grou seemed unable to mature beyond about ten years of age for the most part, but they'd never made a mistake this dumb. They always make dumb mistakes, however, and Grausherra always thinks up a chore for them to do in an interesting way. More often then not, the chore takes about five times longer to do than normal during these punishments.  
  
The Dynast smiled. "I have to think up some for them." He sat down on the edge of the bed and quickened the transformation a little with some of his own energy. It would ensure that she wouldn't become unruly later on and it bonded them as master-minion. It was something all the dark generals did to their priests/generals. Now all there was to do was to wait. And think up some punishments for Grou and Grau.  
  
  
  
*end chapter*  
  
Author: Mwa ha ha ha ha!! I have soo many good ideas for next chapter!! ^o^  
  
Please review this! I see a plot coming... 


	5. The wait

~Disclaimer: You know the drill: I don't own Slayers, don't sue, etc, etc, etc.  
  
Author's Notes: @.@ Grou and Grau's names are starting to confuse me. I suggest you read it slowly to avoid confusion; there's only a letter's difference between the two, after all. ^.^; Oh, and I pulled DSD's priest and general's names from the Odyssey. It was so fitting...  
  
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Clang, clang, clang... A metallic rapping resounded through the halls of the Dynast's stronghold. Clang, clang, clang...  
  
Grau and Grou were sitting in the hallway outside of Sherra's room, against the wall. Grau was repeatedly tapping the head of his staff against the cold marble floor out of boredom. Lord Dynast had brought the girl back about three hours ago and hadn't left the room since. He was quickening her transformation, infusing Dolgoufa's spell with his own power, binding her to him for life. He would give her a little, and allow her body and soul to fuse with the power, and then a little more. He had to go slowly and carefully, lest he overwhelm her with his power and kill her. Such was the way to make a half-human servant.  
  
Dynast wouldn't leave her a halfling, of course. Once she was used to her new Mazoku body and strong enough, he would tear the human part out of her. That would weaken her drastically for a while, but the other option was to leave her as a halfling. As a halfling, she'd be unable to drop her physical form and return completely to the Astral Plane. If she was left like that, unable to return completely to the Astral Plane, she'd slowly lose her sanity as Valgarv had, and eventually suffer a very slow death from it. How long that would take depended on the person. It could take a month, or a year. It could take five millennia. It was impossible to tell until it happened. The latter was out of the question, so her human half would be forcibly removed in time.  
  
Grau sighed long and hard, exaggeratedly making a point of his boredom. They were told to wait outside the room until Lord Dynast emerged and told them their punishments. Grau looked at his twin, who was sound asleep next to him. Grau sighed again, and yawned. He stood up abruptly, dropping his staff and letting it clatter across the ice-cold black marble. Grou started, surprised by the sudden sound that had just awoken him. He scanned the Astral Plane, looking for possible intruders, and found none. He blinked at his twin, who had just walked across the hall and was curled up on the windowsill, gazing out into the night. There was a blizzard raging outside, and visibility would have been zero, even if it had been midday. Mazoku do not need eyes to see, however, and it might as well have been clear out there, bright as noon. They were high up in the stronghold, maybe about thirty stories, about two-thirds of the way up. The stronghold was huge, mostly to make sure trespassers that were fortunate enough to make it this far didn't get anywhere of importance before being annihilated. This hall had all the main sleeping quarters in it, and there were protection spells every three feet, along with more invisible lesser mazoku patrolling the halls of this floor alone than were humans in the great white magic capital, Sailoon.  
  
Grau's staff still lay where it had been carelessly discarded by its owner. He concentrated on it for a moment, and it reappeared across his lap. Grou's staff was almost identical to his twin's, only the gleaming jewel on top was a different color. Grou's staff was topped by a crimson jewel, while Grau's was a paler aquamarine.  
  
Grau smoothed out his violet cloak. The twins were also dressed very similarly. Their shirts, pants, and boots were black, Grou with violet trim and Grau with green. Grau's cloak was violet with green trim, while Grou's was green with violet trim. Their outfits had slightly different styles, but both were of the dark priesthood.  
  
Grou settled back into a comfortable position, and soon drifted back to sleep. Grau, however, wasn't the least bit tired, and was lost in his thoughts. Lord Dynast hadn't really surprised them when he ordered Sherra's revival; she was an incredibly good general, and was unfalteringly loyal. She could shut up tighter than a clam when under interrogation, which was nearly a necessity amongst the Priests and Generals, the Generals more so than the Priests; it was the Generals who were most likely to be taken and questioned by enemies. The general was the personal bodyguard of his or her Lord, along with being in charge of the army. It was the General who was with the Lord practically 24/7, and it was the General who hears nearly everything that leaves his or her Lord's lips. The Shinzoku knew that by a much larger scale than the Humans. Grau doubted that the Humans had put two and two together; the General's role was no secret, so it wasn't like they were lacking that information.  
  
Something was happening in this world, Grau could sense disturbances in the Astral Plane, things that are there that shouldn't be. Ever since that barrier had fallen along with Hellmaster, the wall between Lord Ruby- Eye's and Dark Star's worlds had weakened. That was why Dark Star had been able to get through, that and those weapons. It made him a little nervous, knowing that Death Fog or Chaotic Blue or even -L-sama forbid it- their respective Gods may be able to cross into this world, as well. It wasn't like Lord Ruby-Eye or even Cephied were in any condition to fight against invasion. Cephied had sunk into the Sea of Chaos nearly five thousand years ago, and those pieces of Lord Ruby-Eye were running around out there, somewhere, still in their coma-like sleep, carried by oblivious human hosts. The remaining five pieces were impossible to detect through the Astral Plane; the Mazoku hadn't a ghost of a clue who they were sealed into. So this world would be defenseless against overworld invasion. The three remaining Mazoku Lords may do something about it if they get tired of it, but Grau knew for certain that Cepheid's precious Dragon Kings wouldn't do a thing about it. They only got their lazy selves up if a piece of Lord Ruby-Eye was running amok.  
  
It was funny, actually. The proclaimed servants of the great dragon god only got up for a piece of Lord Ruby-Eye. The Golden Dragons were lucky to have gotten that riddle of a prophesy from the Fire Dragon King. Grau giggled. Some protectors of the world they were. He stifled his sniggers when his twin shifted in his sleep. Another hour had passed, now there was about three to five hours to go. Grau groaned. It was so boring just sitting here!!  
  
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The Dynast frowned when he sensed his priest's impatience. Grau would have to learn that some things took longer than desired the hard way. He cut off the power he had been feeding to Sherra. She had been doing better than expected. Not only was she able to handle more power at once than expected without a problem, but she fused with the power with a completely willing spirit. If the person resisted the transformation once it gripped them, it would hurt all the more. But the girl had been cooperative with his priests, and was unconscious now. Grausherra didn't doubt that if she was aware of what was happening she'd be resisting it out of fear. Humans have a pointless fear of the unknown. The impalpable, the invisible, ghosts, even death itself. They fear what they do not understand instead of setting their minds on finding out. They fear the mazoku because they bring death. They fear fire and floods, sorcery and weapons for the same reason. They can kill. At the same time, they are fascinated by it, wanting to know more, the constant "why?" echoing throughout their minds, but are too timid to reach out and see for themselves out of self-preservation. Some halflings were known to lose their sanity during the transformation because they were resisting. They were afraid, and they destroyed themselves in the process. A minion that weak was not worth the energy. All were promptly disposed of.  
  
Dynast fed Sherra the energy again. As the transformation neared its completion, it became easier to feed her. Another two, maybe three feedings and she'd be done. Dynast frowned as his thoughts fell onto his "sisters." The three of them got along well enough most of the time, but they had been particularly impossible today. He didn't like Zelas' filthy habit of smoking, either. As if the drinking was bad enough, she had to smoke as well. It was a surprise that Xelloss didn't smoke and drink as well. Speaking of servants, Dynast wasn't sure of what had happened to Dolphin's general and priestess, Scylla and Charybdis. He hadn't heard of them for...how long now? Five, maybe six hundred years. Perhaps Dolphin was keeping them at her stronghold; she had lost interest in the happenings around her along with her sanity. What a pity; such a waste of servants. Oh, well. Dolphin was free to do whatever she wanted with her servants. Dynast glanced down at the girl he was feeding. She was done now. In a few hours' time, she'd awaken, a different species than the last time she was conscious. It didn't make any difference; it wasn't as if she'd had a say in the matter.  
  
Dynast stood, and opened the door. Grou jumped at the sudden movement, and Grau's head snapped up, his reverie forgotten. "Now, what to do about your punishment..." Dynast gazed out at the blizzard raging outside. Grau and Grou followed his gaze, and a wave of foreboding washed over them. "Lord Dynast, are you going to make us...?" Grau trailed off, and Grou blanched as an unpleasant memory washed over him. The Dynast smirked, reading his priests' minds. "Yes, I think that would be a fitting punishment..." Dynast abruptly turned and walked away, disappearing from view in the dark hall. "Noo," Grau moaned. "Of all the things he could have made us do, it had to be that, didn't it?" Grou said dejectedly. They headed to their room to get a few hours' sleep before morning; they'd need it.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` I'm going to stop here, minna-san. Please R&R. It keeps me motivated to write. -^.^- 


	6. Mazoku 101

~Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers. I DO, however, own this version of Grau and Grou. Don't steal them.  
  
.:Author's Notes:. I always write this after the story is written, no da... I am trying to break my habit of using "Dynast" as Grausherra's name. (It's his title.) So bear with me. I am also using dashes around words to stress them because I don't know how to make the italics appear on the page. This starts about forty-five minutes after the last chapter ended.  
  
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A girl opened her eyes. It felt like it was for the first time. Hazily, she sat up, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She steadied herself, and slowly looked about the room she was in. She was in a very comfortable bed in a strange, yet familiar room. It had a nostalgic feel to it. She looked down at the bedclothes. They were a sharp contrast of white, an ivory, to be exact, with pale blue satin border, and black blankets. The sheets were silk. Her attention then focused on her clothing. She was wearing a low-neck black nightdress that appeared to also be made of silk. It was warm. She put a hand to her head. What happened? Her memories were hazy; a jumble of sights and sounds. She couldn't even recall her name. She could recall faces, but not give them names. She remembered colors, but couldn't remember where she lived. Her gaze drifted across the room. She didn't know if it was morning or night; there were heavy blue draperies covering the windows, obscuring the light. The only source of light in the room was the fireplace. A low fire was burning in it, light enough to see, but dark enough to sleep comfortably.  
  
The theme of the room seemed to be black. The floor was black marble, polished to the point you could see the reflections of everything in the room. The walls were painted black, or perhaps a very dark cyan. It was a fairly normal bedroom. There was the bed, of course, a vanity, and a dresser. There was a door to the right of the fireplace. "It probably leads to the bathroom," she thought. Shakily, she got out of bed, and walked over to the vanity. She gaped at her reflection. Her eyes were still pale green, like peridots, but her hair! It was no longer a rich brown so dark it could be mistaken for black in certain lights. Now it was blue, a cyan, though lighter than the walls of the room. Disbelieving, she pulled a lock in front of her for inspection. It was just as the mirror had been silently telling her. Her hair was blue. But that was impossible! Hair didn't change color at the drop of a hat. But it was blue. She turned back to the mirror.  
  
She began to inspect her reflection intently. The nightdress was flattering on her. She blushed slightly. She focused her gaze back onto the whole scene the mirror was reflecting. Her eyes widened as her mind registered what she saw. She wasn't the only one in the room. There was a man sitting in a chair next to and a little behind the bed she'd just been lying in. She whirled around to face him, and fell to her knees as another wave of nauseating dizziness gripped her. The man stood and strode over to her. He crouched down in front of her. "Don't make any sudden movements," he murmured. She gazed up at him, suddenly calm. She couldn't explain it, but she felt so -safe- with him there. She studied him. He was young, maybe eighteen or nineteen, with black hair. His eyes were a gray-violet, and they gave a glimpse of his true age; years uncounted of experience were reflected in his cold stare. He was wearing a black tunic and black pants, black armor, and a snow white cloak. His pale skin looked paler next to all that black. He was really nice looking. Not being used to so much attention from guys, she blushed and looked away. Grausherra noticed her reaction and smirked before extending a hand to help her up. She took his hand tentatively. He pulled her up, and supported her when she began to fall. "Slowly," he mentally chided himself. He brought her back to the bed. "Try to relax," He said quietly, as if speaking any louder would bring the room crashing down. She sat on the bed, never taking her eyes off the man as he settled back into his chair. She looked at her hands as if they were the most interesting thing on the planet. "Sherra," the man began. Was that her name? It must be, she mentally resolved. She looked at the man. "Go to sleep," he continued, "you have been through a lot in these past few hours and you need rest." Sherra frowned, "I have?" She couldn't think straight. The man chuckled softly. "You have, now go to sleep." She was resisting his command, but then again, she had a lot of unanswered questions, not to mention she was untrained, the Dynast reasoned. He could feel her growing sleepier by the moment despite her resistance.  
  
Sherra slid under the covers, being carefully mindful of her nightgown. "Who are you?" She asked the man. He blinked. "I am the Dynast, Grausherra," he said, gesturing at himself with a graceful wave of his hand. Sherra settled down into the bed. She could feel sleep conquering her despite her resolve to get some answers from the man. She gave in and fell into a deep dreamless sleep. Grausherra watched her for a few seconds before teleporting outside to make sure his priests were properly carrying out their punishment.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` several hours later...  
  
"I can't take this anymore!!! We have been doing this for FOUR HOURS!!!" Grau wailed, on the verge of hysterics. Grou sweat dropped at his twin, "We only have a little more to go. Come on." Grou brandished his teaspoon at the snow. "We just have to get six more feet out of the walkway. You're overreacting." Grau glared at his twin. "I am -not- overreacting. If we only had to clear the walkway, that'd be fine despite the fact that it's like, eighty million miles long. But nooo, we have to clear it with teaspoons, not to mention that we are not allowed to use magic!!! What did we ever do to deserve -this-?" Grau wailed. "If I remember correctly, you failed in your duty to protect Sherra until I could change her over, not to mention that Dolgoufa was taken as well," Grausherra interjected from his sitting position on the roof about twenty feet from the twins. Grau and Grou turned to face their Lord. Grou waved. Grau scowled. "Hurry up," Grausherra ordered, "she'll have recovered enough strength to begin training in about an hour and I need you two to assume your positions in Dilss."  
  
Although the Dynast had taken quite a beating from a certain red headed sorceress, he still was in control of Dilss, and it needed its figure of authority present today for a meeting with the leaders of a few other kingdoms, including Saillune. The thought of Grau and Grou sitting through Princess Amelia's justice speeches almost made Grausherra feel bad. Almost. Usually he had lesser minions take his King of Dilss disguise and keep him informed of what was happening (Usually nothing. How boring.) through a telepathic link. Today, however, the King of Dilss needed to have a mind, and he would be busy training his new general, so Grau and Grou would have to go in his stead. They'd be able to handle it; they were diplomatic and they knew that if they messed this up, especially after last night, they'd have a lot more to worry about than shoveling with teaspoons.  
  
Grau and Grou quickly hopped to it. The very thought of having this mind- numbing chore over and done with and going to have fun in Dilss was enough to give them the energy needed to complete the walkway within fifteen seconds, even if they were using teaspoons instead of shovels. By the time they looked up at where their master had been sitting he was gone, only an imprint in the snow was left behind.  
  
Grausherra had relocated himself to his throne room, and was seated in his throne, contemplating this new situation he was in. Grau and Grou would have to get used to having a girl living with them again. Her training would need to begin immediately; he was at a disadvantage without a general. She would be in a daze for the next few days, and then her memories would begin to return to her. He needed her to be unquestioningly loyal by then. Not that it would be too hard for him; it just needed to happen in an incredibly short amount of time. And the current situation in the human world. The current leader of Saillune, Amelia, had married. Grausherra frowned. He couldn't remember the man's name. That chimera...Zelgadis. Yes, that was it. Zelgadis. The leaders of all the kingdoms had decided to make an alliance due to the fact that foreigners were coming across the Demon's Sea to this continent. Well, the majority of the people crossing the sea were destroyed by Dolphin's "pets." It wouldn't be long before they figured out how to slay the ugly beasts, however, and the leaders felt that an alliance needed to be formed. No one knew about Grausherra's control over Dilss, nor were the humans meant to, and so he had to keep up this front that Dirus II had left him in charge should something -horrible- happen when the moron went to challenge the Demon King of the North. Said moron was writhing in agony in one of the palace dungeons. Lord Ruby-Eye had taken delight in cursing Dirus II with the Raugnut Rusyavuna after annihilating his soldiers.  
  
Grausherra was pulled out of his reverie when his priests appeared before his throne, their task completed. "Leave now. You have to be ready for the meeting in two hours," he ordered. The twins bowed and disappeared in navy blurs. He looked at the clock. That should be enough rest for her today. Grausherra sent a mental order to Sherra, telling her to take a bath and get dressed.  
  
Sherra woke up with a start. She looked around the room. She was alone. Her gaze focused on the foot of her bed, where a set of clothes and a bath towel had been laid out. She slipped out of bed and looked around the room. She walked over to the door next to the fireplace and peeked inside. It was a bathroom. She walked back over to the bed and picked up the clothing and towel. She was growing more confident in her step; she didn't feel dizzy and nauseous any more. She went in and took her bath. She got out and wrapped the towel around herself. She looked at the clothing that had been laid out for her. It consisted of a black sweater and black leggings. She pulled them on and looked at herself in the mirror. The leggings were form-fitting, but the sweater was loose and went down to mid- thigh. It was a sharp contrast to her pale skin. The marble floor was freezing cold against her bare feet. She looked around the room, and saw a pair of boots, also black, next to the bed. "Someone has a fetish for black," Sherra murmured to herself, amused. She slipped the boots on and sat down at the vanity. She began to comb out her hair. She frowned when she noticed that her eyes were slitted. 'What happened to me?' she thought. Suddenly, a mental urge told her to get her sword. 'Sword?' she thought, 'what sword?' She frowned again, realizing that the "urge" had been more like a commanding voice in her mind. A voice she couldn't resist. She looked around, and noticed a scabbard on the dresser. She picked it up and drew the sword. A sudden wave of realization hit her. It was -her- sword. She remembered it from yesterday...but what had happened? She couldn't remember.  
  
Suddenly, the world around her blurred. She felt a pulling sensation and a sudden wave of dizziness. When her vision cleared, she was in a different room. The theme was still black. It was a huge room, with torches on either side of the walls, making the atmosphere eerie. There was a throne atop a low set of stairs. The man from earlier, Grausherra was sitting in it, in a slightly reclined position. He got up and approached the confused girl. "Sherra," he said, "we are going to begin your training today." Sherra blinked, confused. "Training...?" she echoed him, "for what? What happened to me?" Grausherra smiled. "You are a mazoku now," he said. "Mazoku? What's..." Sherra trailed off, a memory of a story resurfacing. "Well, half mazoku. I have to teach you basic fundamentals of being one today. Namely, how to feed and how to teleport," Grausherra said. He noticed that she was still holding Dolgoufa. He formed a belt in his hands and buckled it around her waist, then strapped the scabbard to it. Sherra was temporarily paralyzed when he did this, and she could feel her face heat up in another blush, which made her blush even more.  
  
"First thing's first," Grausherra began, tactfully ignoring her heavy blushing, "You need to learn how to feed; I can't keep on hand-feeding you like I did last night." That comment didn't help Sherra's blush at all. Grausherra paused, realizing that he ought to teach her how to teleport to the source of nourishment first. He sent a mental image of the front gate of the fortress to Sherra, along with the command 'go here.' Sherra automatically phased out. Grausherra teleported to where he felt her astral signature. 'Not bad,' he thought, 'she only missed by about fifty feet.'  
  
Sherra was given a command to go to a gate, the front gate, she realized. She concentrated on the image for a moment, not recognizing it. The world around her blurred for the second time that day, and she suddenly found herself in about eight feet of newly fallen snow, about fifty feet from her target. She began to panic a little when she realized she was stuck in the snow. "How did I..." she trailed off when she saw Grausherra phase in in the air above her. He lowered himself so that his boots were just a few centimeters above the snow. "Not bad for your first try," he said, "Try again, concentrate harder on the gate this time." Sherra complied, concentrating on the gate in front of her. Then suddenly, she was there. She looked around. Grausherra phased in next to her. "Now that you know how to teleport, I'll show you how to feed." He phased out again, and Sherra felt him pull her along with.  
  
They reappeared near a little village. Sherra looked over at Grausherra, who had lost his cloak and shoulder armor in the last teleport. He looked back at her. "We feed on human and ryuzoku emotions. Human ones tend to feed better, and the negative ones are what nourish us best, not to mention they tend -not- to get us ill. All we have to do is get into close proximity to the human or humans giving off the emotions, the rest just happens involuntarily. And no, we can't overfeed. We stop when we have had enough," Grausherra quickly explained. "It's best to go in looking like a human, and start something that would cause an uproar. Be sure not to make it obvious that -you- were the one to start it. Teleport in, do something, and teleport out before they know what hit them. Don't let them see you teleport. It's easier to do it when the humans are intoxicated in the area if you are new at it. Another thing to do is to summon a bunch of lesser mazoku to attack the town. I wouldn't suggest doing that too often, though." Sherra blinked at him, and looked back at the town.  
  
Grausherra straightened up and began to walk into the village, beckoning for her to follow. Sherra got up and ran after him. It was a typical small village. It was a little warmer here, too. Sherra looked back at her master. "Where are we, exactly?" Grausherra glanced at her, "We are in the northern part of the kingdom of Lyzeille, east of Krimzon." (That's just west of Dragon's Peak, north of Sairaag.) Sherra looked back in front of her, just in time to see a guy get thrown out of a bar. 'We may not have to start anything,' Grausherra thought. Sherra nodded, not realizing it was a telepathic message. A lovely bar fight ensued, with plenty of swearing and bloodshed, seeing as the drunkards both had daggers. Sherra's mouth opened slightly when she felt the emotions hit her. She hadn't expected it to feel like this. It felt -good-. She was really hungry, she could feel it now.  
  
The two of them backed away as the crowd grew. A few more men came out of the bar, some slightly drunk, and others that would have spectacular hangovers when their livers were done going through all that alcohol. They began to cheer on the brawl. Sherra watched, fascinated. She had never seen a fight like this before, nor had anger ever fed her. She was so wrapped up in watching that she didn't notice the guy approaching her, nor did she notice Grausherra stiffen. He swayed drunkenly and put a hand on the side of a building to steady himself. "Hey, you're a pretty girl...wanna buy me a drink? We can get to know each other better..." Sherra blinked at the man, and backed away from him. "Hey now, little misshy, I mean it, buy me a drink..." The man grabbed Sherra's wrist. Grausherra pulled Sherra away from him. "Keep your filthy hands off her," Grausherra spat, drawing his blade. Before anyone had time to blink, Grausherra ran his blade through the man. Sherra backed away even more. The man coughed, blood dribbling down his chin, and fell forward. The Dynast calmly wiped the blood from his blade on the back of the man's tunic. Blood began to pool around the man's prone form, staining the neat cobblestone a raw crimson. Grausherra glanced around; no one had noticed. How unobservant humans were still amazed him. He grabbed his general by the arm and pushed her into a nearby alley. Once in, he teleported them back to his headquarters.  
  
Sherra suddenly found herself back in the throne room. Grausherra's violent reaction to the man had surprised her. He was so...possessive. And yet, here they were, back in the throne room, as if nothing had happened. She frowned when she realized that she could feel what Grausherra felt as he felt it. Now that she thought about it, right before he pulled her away from that drunken man, she had felt a surge of emotions in the back of her mind, emotions that were not her own. They seemed to scream 'get away from her!' She also knew what he wanted when he wanted it, and she felt a desire, no, a need to give him what he wanted. Curiously, she looked at Grausherra. He was studying her thoughtfully. She made eye contact with him for a moment, and then looked away. She felt herself blush again.  
  
Grausherra silently regarded his new general. She was already incredibly loyal, though she'd probably deny it. It was all in the mind. He had been constantly sending her telepathic messages the moment she had awakened that second time. She probably wasn't aware of them, but they were there, and she was unconsciously bending to his will.  
  
That was enough excitement for now. He decided to teach her Mazoku history and the geography of this continent. As a mazoku, not to mention one of his personal servants, the general, this would be one of the things she'd need to have engraved in her memory for all time. He decided to test her on her abilities to teleport while he was at it. "Follow me," he ordered, and teleported out of the room. Sherra stared at where he had been. Follow him? How? She hadn't received a mental image. Frightened, she began to panic. 'Find his astral signature and teleport next to him,' a telepathic voice offered helpfully. Sherra jumped slightly, and looked around. Where had that voice come from? Suddenly, she had it. The sword. It was her sword. It could talk; it had that "alive" aura about it. She quickly took its advice and teleported to where she could feel the Dynast's presence.  
  
Sherra reappeared in a library. She looked around. It was huge and very well kept. There was row upon row of books, all tightly packed in shelves. The floor was still the black marble, but there were rugs here and there, scattered about the floor. There was a central fireplace, and about fifteen feet away from it were tables made of polished mahogany. There were arcane scrolls and books scattered all over them. The room was fairly brightly lit, much brighter than her room or the throne room. Grausherra was sitting at one of the tables, looking at her expectantly. She walked over to him, and he waved her into the seat next to his. She looked at the scroll laid out on the table. It was a map. It looked like it was ready to fall apart and end its pathetic existence at any second.  
  
"This is a map of the continent we live in. Five thousand years ago, our Lord, Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu, fought against Flare Dragon Cephied. Each side was unwilling to give in, and they were equaled in power. But Cephied used up the last of his strength to split our lord into seven pieces of equal power. Cephied was exhausted and sank into the Sea of Chaos. He's never coming back. He left behind four gods, the Dragon Lords, to fight with Lord Ruby-Eye should he ever awaken. Then around one thousand years ago, Hellmaster Phibrizzo discovered a piece of Lord Ruby-Eye in a sorcerer named Lei Magnus. Lord Ruby-Eye was reawakened by Hellmaster, and another war started, called the War of the Monster's Fall. The Aqualord, Laguladia, awakened and challenged Lord Ruby-Eye.  
  
He knew that Laguladia had a fourth of Ceipheed's power, while he had only a seventh of his own at his disposal. So he had Hellmaster Phibrizzo, Beastmaster Zelas-Metallium, Deep Sea Dolphin, and myself position ourselves at the four compass points. Myself in the far north, here in the Northern Footholds, Beastmaster in the deep south, at her abode, Wolf Pack Island. Deep Sea Dolphin in the west, deep beneath the surface of the Demon's Sea, and Hellmaster in the east, in the desert of his own creation, the Desert of Destruction. Phibrizzo was angry when his priestess and general were killed earlier in the war and blew up the eastern side of the continent, creating that desert. No plants will grow there, even to this day.  
  
Together we created a god-sealing field that fractioned the Aqualord's power. Lei Magnus had Chaos Dragon Garv with him, and used Garv to channel the energy at Laguladia. Using the last of -his- strength, Aqualord imprisoned Lord Ruby-Eye in the Kataart Mountains, and sealed Garv into a human body. Now, about 20 years ago, Lord Ruby-Eye was resurrected in Rezo, the Red Priest. A sorceress named Lina Inverse cast a spell calling on the power of the Lord of Nightmares, the mother of all, and defeated Lord Ruby-Eye.  
  
A couple of years later, Garv decided that he wanted to take over the Mazoku. Phibrizzo wanted to be the one to take care of it, and we had no objections. It was then that Lord Ruby-Eye, who is still imprisoned in the Kataart Mountains, told us of a sorceress, Lina Inverse, who could cast a spell that should it go out of control, it could destroy the world. World destruction, chaos, that is the ultimate goal of the Mazoku. Phibrizzo decided to ruin all of Garv's plans, and wanted to manipulate this sorceress into doing it for him, and while he was at it, have her cast the spell, the Giga Slave. He borrowed Beastmaster's General/Priest, Xelloss, to do the manipulation. Garv was killed by Hellmaster, and then Lina cast the Giga Slave, but it did NOT go out of control, so now Phibrizzo's dead.  
  
Meanwhile, I was quietly taking over the Dilss kingdom, and had just succeeded when none other than Lina Inverse wandered into the scene. I sent you out to kill her, and you would have succeeded, but her bodyguard, Gourry Gabriev, killed you with his blade, the legendary Sword of Light. I challenged them afterward, and that sorceress nearly killed me. Shortly afterward, when I was still recuperating, one of Garv's followers, Valgarv, summoned Darkstar into our world. He is the head Mazoku in a world parallel to ours. And once again, Miss Inverse and her companions came through and killed both Darkstar and Valgarv. Gourry gave his Sword of Light, Gorun Nova, back to the overworlders. That's basically all you'll need to know right now," Grausherra explained.  
  
Sherra blinked at him. That was a lot to take in. She had a million questions. "So, you still have control over Dilss?" she asked, stumbling over the name a little. Grausherra nodded in affirmation, "Yes, we still do. Grau and Grou are there right now, taking care of some business." "And Garv and Phibrizzo are dead?" She said slowly. "That's Lord Phibrizzo to you, and yes, they are," Grausherra replied. That made three still alive. Deep in thought, she gazed a Grausherra. Was he as old as that first war? Five thousand years? Are Mazoku immortal, then? He certainly didn't look old. Did that mean that she wouldn't age? Grau and Grou, they sounded familiar...that's it! Those two kids!! They were the priests, and she was....the general. The full meaning of those words hit her right then. She was the general. Grausherra silently met his general's gaze as she processed what he had just told her. That was a lot to take in, but she needed to be trained as quickly as possible. He could start her on swordplay this afternoon or tomorrow. Tomorrow, he decided. She still needed to hone her teleportation skills, and learn Levitation. It was decided. Starting tomorrow, she would truly be his general.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` And so endeth this sixth installment of this fic. What'd you think?? If I got anything wrong, or you have a comment, say it in a review!! If I get some more reviews, chap. 7 will be posted!! Yay!!  
  
Phibby: And I was -finally- mentioned!! ^o^  
  
Author: Yes... ^^  
  
Come on, you know you want to review.... 


	7. Mazoku 201

~Megalomaniac Says: (and I quote): "Sherra-sama does not own Slayers. In fact, she owns nothing. For all that she owns is really mine! And all I own is also mine. And Shinkohyou's got bad fashion sense! Mwa ha ha!!" ::Sherra-sama comes up and smacks the megalomaniac upside the head. Sherra- sama then takes out Shinkohyou's Raikouben and zaps the megalomaniac (aka T- sama).::   
  
T-sama's shameless plug: "Read Houshin Engi (Soul Hunters) or DIE!!   
  
We will now bring you back to your regular Author's Notes."  
  
Author's Notes: O.O Gomen. T-sama didn't say that right. ::hides Raikouben behind her back:: I don't own Slayers, but DO own this version of Grau and Grou, so don't steal them. And she doesn't have my soul. (T-sama: "Are you sure?") Yes. I am. Dynast owns my soul, because he stole it from Phibby. And now, the fic, because I am sure you are bored of my rambling.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` (::pokes at pattern:: this means a scene change, okay?)  
  
Grau and Grou returned to the castle later that evening. Everything had gone as planned during the meeting and everything was set for the humans. Nothing worthy of noting had happened; Queen Amelia had nearly killed Grau and Grou with her overly potent aura of happiness and her justice speeches, but she did that every time they had seen her.  
  
They appeared in the throne room, expecting the Dynast to be there to "happily" greet them. Much to their surprise, he wasn't in the throne room. They decided to check his bedchambers. They teleported outside his door.  
  
"Open it," Grou whispered to Grau. "No!!! I don't wanna die today!" They looked at the door. They weren't allowed into Grausherra's bedchambers, ever. "Why don't we just find his astral presence?" Grau whispered. Grou nodded, in complete agreement. This was much better for their health. They concentrated for a moment, and found their master's signature in the courtyard, along with Sherra's.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` Sherra was tired. Snow was billowing around her; she was freezing. Grausherra was trying to teach her how to levitate, but they weren't getting very far. Grausherra was sitting in the snow about twenty feet below her and off to the side, lazily watching her slow progress. She was supposed to go up, and then fly somewhere, anywhere. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay up for long enough to fly anywhere. She was getting better, though; her airborne time was gradually getting longer.  
  
Grausherra looked up when he heard Sherra cry out. Grau and Grou had teleported in next to her, startling her. Her concentration broke and her spell dissipated. She fell down to the snow below her. Grausherra cast a spell that manipulated the winds and slowed her fall, hoping that she'd think to teleport. She didn't, and she landed in the snow. It stung her face. Grau and Grou floated over to her form. They landed as she sat up.  
  
"Sherra-chan!!!!!!!!!!" They cried happily as they flung themselves onto her. She blinked uncomfortably as she looked at the two children who were latched onto her. "We're happy that you're okay!!!! We were afraid that Lord Dynast would overdo the training and kill you while we were gone!!" Grau said, his voice muffled because he had buried his face in her shoulder. Grou let go of Sherra and sat down next to her. The cold didn't bother him. He rather liked sitting in the snow, unlike his brother, who had stayed firmly latched onto Sherra.  
  
"Give your report," Grausherra ordered the twins. "Everything has gone according to plan; no one suspects that we still have control over Dilss, especially after that little incident with Miss Inverse. They have decided to beef up their military, so all we have to do is call more humans in for training to defend their country." Grou said. "Excellent," Grausherra said as he stood. He had been sitting for so long that he was dusted with a layer of snow about two millimeters thick. He could sense another storm swiftly approaching, as well.  
  
Grausherra kept a carefully stoic face as he studied his priests and general. They were getting along fine, just as he had expected. Sherra still needed to learn Levitation, but now that Grau and Grou had returned, they could work on perfecting it with her. Nor was this the weather to be outside, what with yet another snowstorm coming. Maybe ten minutes, and a blizzard would be there, full force. "We're going inside," Dynast said before teleporting inside the castle. He reappeared in his throne room and seated himself. Sherra soon followed. He felt Grau and Grou in the library, no doubt looking for another experiment to perform in their lab.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Not sure of what to do with herself, Sherra had followed her master back into the throne room. She was standing in front of the throne, maybe ten feet away. He was gazing at her intently, trying to decide if whether or not it was a good idea to continue her training or to call it a day. She was tired, there was no denying that, but this would be a good opportunity for him to begin her sword training. The very basics were stances and how to hold the sword; it didn't take that much energy at all.  
  
Sherra was absently studying the throne room from where she stood when Grausherra began to speak. "Unsheathe Dolgoufa," he ordered as he stood and walked to within arm's length of her. Sherra blinked a few times before she realized that he was talking about the sword he had given her. She grasped the sword's hilt and awkwardly pulled it out of its sheathe. Its weight nearly threw her off balance, but she felt the sword suddenly begin to support itself. She quickly regained her composure. Dolgoufa let its full weight back into Sherra's hands, but this time she knew how heavy it was and was able to hold it.  
  
For the next two hours, Sherra learned how to hold the sword in either hand, how to how to deliver basic blows and how to block them. She was drilled on different stances, all for one-on-one fighting. Then she and Grausherra began to spar, slowly. He wouldn't let her use Dolgoufa for this part; he could move on his own, and Grausherra didn't want Sherra to become dependent on his help. They were using wooden practice blades. He was moving very slowly so Sherra could remember how to hold the sword to block, and then "return" the blow. After the first ten minutes, she was starting to remember what she was supposed to do and was responding more and more quickly. They were gradually moving faster and faster, and Sherra was really getting into the swordplay.  
  
Suddenly, an explosion sounded from elsewhere in the castle, shaking the ground. Startled, Sherra lost her balance in the middle of a thrust and fell over. "The priests," Grausherra explained when he saw Sherra's bewildered expression, "They are experimenting in their lab again," "That was them just now?" Sherra asked as she stood up. "Yes, they to like to blow up their lab; they tend to do it often. You'll get used to it," Grausherra explained as his practice blade disintegrated in his hand, shortly followed by Sherra's. "That's enough for today," Grausherra said as he went and sat back down on his throne. "You may do whatever you please for the rest of the day," he said.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Grau and Grou were having a -great- time in their lab. They had been happily mixing chemicals, and had discovered three new ways to make poisonous fumes, and they found this thing that made the greatest explosion! Their ten-year-old mentalities were in their prime. They had just restored their lab to the condition it had been in before the experiments, and were happily recording how to replicate them for future references.  
  
They had bored of the explosions for the moment, however, and were trying to decide what to do when they felt Sherra wander away from the Dynast's presence.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Sherra had just teleported back into her room, and threw herself over her bed. She just laid there on her stomach, utterly exhausted from the training. She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard her door open. "Sherra-chan, you shouldn't go to sleep with your sword still belted onto you," said Grou. Sherra pushed herself up with a little effort and sat on the bed. She blinked sleepily at the twins. Grau stepped forward and unhooked Dolgoufa. He put the sword on the bed before climbing up onto it himself. Grou settled for sitting on the floor.  
  
The twins were gazing at her intently, and she could feel their probing. Grau and Grou were meticulously inspecting her on the Astral Plane. Their astral bodies acted as one, Sherra noticed. They were checking her mood, how healthy she was, how hungry, etc. As the priests, it was their job to make sure that their Lord and the general stayed in good health. It was an important part of their jobs.  
  
She knew that the Astral Plane was there; she had been actively scanning it and probing things since she had awakened. The first thing she had recognized on the Astral Plan had been her master, and she had cuddled up next to him immediately. Though she had moved around quite a bit on the physical plane that the humans inhabited, her astral presence hadn't moved much from its warm and safe spot next to the Dynast. It really bothered her that she couldn't just drop her physical form and sleep next to him, completely in the Astral Plane. She was really tired, and she didn't feel as safe when a portion of her was in the physical plane while she was asleep, even if Master was right there.  
  
"Sherra-chan, you really should go to sleep," Grau said. Sherra looked at him. "That's all anyone has been saying to me lately," she said as she tried to stifle a yawn. "That's because you're a newborn halfling and need a ton of sleep," Grou stated plainly from his spot on the floor. "Halfling...?" Sherra asked. "Yeah, you know, half Mazoku, half human," Grou explained. "I'm part human?" Sherra said, surprised. Grausherra-sama had told her that she was half Mazoku, but she had never stopped to consider what the other half was. She tried to delve into her foggier memories, tried to remember something, anything, from when she was human, but failed. Her memories beyond waking up in the citadel were a foggy miasma. "Sherra-chan, you should go to sleep," Grau repeated, shooting Grou a "we-aren't-supposed-to-mention-that" look. "We'll leave the room; put your pajamas on and go to bed. It's late now." Grou said hurriedly as he got up and left, Grau at his heels.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Several hours later, however, Sherra was not asleep. She had put her nightdress on and gone to bed, but she couldn't fall asleep. What Grau and Grou had said was eating away at her. Was her being half human stopping her from going over to the Astral Plane completely? She wanted to go over there and stay with her master, completely over, but she couldn't. She really wanted to, she needed to, and she couldn't. Therefore, she was lying anxiously in bed. She shifted, changed her position, but to no avail. She couldn't sleep. With a sigh that sounded slightly like a stressed sob, she sat up. She shivered. She didn't like this. It was cold. It was no use; she couldn't sleep.  
  
She got out of bed and left her room. She stood alone in the dark hall for a minute, shivering. Her nightdress went down only to about mid-thigh, and the neck was low cut. The back scooped down fairly low, as well. It was made with the assumption that she would be under a heavy comforter while she slept, not that she'd be walking around an unheated citadel in the frozen wastelands of the far north. Her legs and feet were bare, but she didn't want to go back into her room, so she picked a direction and started walking that way.  
  
She walked for a long while, or at least it seemed so to her. The halls were all of black stone, marble being the most commonly seen. The ceilings were high, and so were the windows. There was one every so often, maybe about eighty feet apart. The drapes were white as the snow outside, with a golden stripe about nine inches from the bottom. All the halls were decorated in this manner, so it wasn't long before she was lost. She didn't care, though. She couldn't sleep, so what was the sense in returning to her room? The halls were all dark. There was no way a normal human could see in them. Sherra wasn't a normal human, however; she was half mazoku, and her senses were considerably heightened. The halls were merely uncomfortably dim to her. After a while, she saw a flickering light in the hall ahead of her. It was coming from a door.  
  
The light was very dim, and was wavering about as though only a few candles were lit. Sherra frowned, wondering who else was up at this insanely late hour. Silently, she approached the door and peeked inside. It was the library that her master had taken her to when he taught her about the Mazoku history. She scanned the Astral Plane, and found that it was Grausherra-sama who was up at this late hour. Her probing caught his attention on the Astral Plane, and she felt his influence wash over her. She found herself walking into the library. She stopped a few feet from his physical form. His Astral presence still had a firm grip on her.  
  
He was seated comfortably on a sofa. He had a little tea table in front and to the right of him. Documents in an ornate calligraphy were scattered across its surface, along with a glass half filled with wine the color of fresh blood. He hadn't changed into pajamas; he was wearing his normal outfit; tunic and pants, sans the cloak. Instead, he had a large blanket draped over his lap. It ran off the sofa and pooled in a soft heap at his feet. The Dynast was scanning her intently in both planes, trying to figure out why she was up. She wasn't hurt, and she wasn't that hungry, either. Insomnia, perhaps? His gaze met hers, and he recognized the troubled look in her eyes. Silently, he motioned for her to seat herself next to him. She complied and sat down. He shifted his blanket so that it covered both of them. Sherra shivered and pulled the blanket up so that it covered her shoulders as well. Grausherra shifted his position so that he was facing her on an angle, and his weight on the cushions made her slide right up next to him. She blushed. She still wasn't used to her master's touch.  
  
"What's the matter?" Grausherra asked. He didn't like his general's mood at all. She was very upset, and he wanted to know why. There were other emotions mixed in the fray, but his main concern was her anxiety. Sherra allowed her stiff body to relax and she leaned into him as she began to speak. "Why can't I come over completely?" she asked. The Dynast was silent for a moment before flatly replying, "I already told you, you are only half Mazoku; you have a physical body. You can't come over to the Astral Plane completely." Her gaze saddened as she processed what she had just been told. She felt like she was going to start crying.  
  
Grausherra noticed this and frowned. It was because she was half-human that she was emotional like this. That and the fact that as a newborn Mazoku, it was natural that she would want to spend as much time with her creator as possible. He understood that she wasn't comfortable sleeping when she was in the physical plane, but nothing could be done about that until he tore the human part out of her. She was far too weak for that now. He had raised servants before, not to mention that he had raised her before, and he knew her better than she knew herself. He knew how to deal with her emotional ups and downs; after all, she was eternally a teenager, and any female teenager, even a Mazoku one, has mood swings. She never felt any sort of self doubt before and she certainly wasn't feeling it now, but her moods were like a roller coaster ride. They were more severe than before because of her half-human spirit, but they were still there and Grausherra had become an expert at dealing with them. Silently, he strengthened his hold on her astral presence and reassured her. Sherra calmed when she felt her master's presence strengthen all around her.  
  
Grausherra smiled to himself. That had done the trick. It usually did, actually. Sherra's anxiety quieted considerably, and he felt her become drowsy. That was good. Sleepily, Sherra nuzzled closer to her master for warmth. In a few minutes time, she was fast asleep. Careful not to disturb the girl snuggled up next to him, Grausherra retrieved the papers that he had been inspecting before. Grau and Grou had brought them back from the meeting in Dilss. They were documents stating just how much military resistance should be built up, treaties, etc.  
  
Grausherra frowned when that brought another thought to mind. His "sisters" were going to want to know what's up with the kingdoms. They were going to be sending messengers for the news in the next few days. He hadn't mentioned Sherra's return to either of them. Dolphin would probably send a low-level Mazoku to retrieve the information, but Zelas would probably send Xelloss. Grausherra groaned at the thought of that impending headache. He stilled when he felt Sherra stir, but she did not wake.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
The first thing that Sherra felt when she woke up was extreme contentment. She was warm and comfortable. She could still feel her master's presence. Her happy thoughts came to a screeching halt. He had stayed with her? Sherra opened her eyes. She and Grausherra were still on the couch. He had shifted his position slightly so that her head was resting on his chest, and his arm was draped over her. Her face heated into a blush, which reddened when she noticed that she had him in a sort of a half-hug. Sherra sat up. She was still cuddled up to Grausherra, but at least now she wasn't hugging him. As she sat up, Grausherra's arm slid down and came to rest on her back. He smirked at his general's blush. He didn't know why, but he liked making her blush. He got a sort of satisfaction when he made her do it.  
  
A servant suddenly entered the room and bowed to its master. It stayed in the bowed position, its eyes closed in respect. It was humanoid, but was too weak to take on an actual human form. "What is it?" Grausherra asked the servant as he took a sip of his wine. "My Lord, Lord Beastmaster's second is here," it said in a slightly warped voice, "It wishes to see you; its master wishes for a synopsis on what happened yesterday." "Send him in," Grausherra ordered. The servant bowed and vanished. Confused, Sherra looked at her lord questioningly. He absently rubbed her back, his gaze on the door that lead into the library.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Xelloss was Beastmaster's second, of course. He had gotten up bright and early just so he could get the report on what the verdict was on what to do about the invasions. Although it didn't really concern the Mazoku, it was nice to know what happened so that they would have more information with which they may manipulate a human or even an entire government in human society should the need arise. Contrary to human and Ryuzoku beliefs, the Dark Lords kept each other up to date on what was happening with each other.  
  
Xelloss was mildly surprised to find that he was meeting Lord Dynast in the main library rather than the throne room. He shrugged it off, and followed the lesser demon's teleport. Xelloss got a big surprise when he arrived in the library, however. When he was rising out of his automatic bow he actually looked at the Dynast. If Xelloss were human, he would have had a heart attack, figuratively speaking, of course. Not only was Lord Dynast on a couch with a blanket-he hadn't even dressed yet- but Sherra was there too. Xelloss actually opened his eyes as he took in the scene. Lord Dynast was a dignified and regal looking as ever, but it was strange to see him with a dead Mazoku cuddled up next to him. If Sherra hadn't died before, then maybe he wouldn't have been so surprised, but Gourry had killed her.  
  
Sherra stiffened when she felt this newcomer suddenly begin to poke and prod at her in the Astral Plane. He seemed shocked to see her and she didn't understand why. He apparently found his answer, because he ceased his probing, but he eyed her suspiciously for a moment before closing his eyes in an overly happy smile. Sherra snuggled protectively closer to Dynast. "Lord Dynast," the newcomer was saying, "As I am sure you know, Lord Beastmaster sent me to receive a report on yesterday's goings on in the meetings in Dilss." "Yes, I expected as much, Xelloss," Grausherra said, "I, however, was not the one who went. As you can see, I have revived Sherra. I began her training yesterday. I sent Grau and Grou to Dilss to take care of business." Xelloss kept his happy countenance. It wasn't really surprising. It was natural for Lord Dynast to devote most, if not all, of his time to Sherra and her training. Apparently, he was devoting all his time.  
  
Xelloss felt the Dynast summon his priests. After a few moments, Grau and Grou appeared. They both bowed to their lord before turning to Xelloss. "Come into our study, and we'll brief you on what happened so you can tell Lord Beastmaster," Grau said. Xelloss nodded and the three of them teleported away.  
  
After they left, Sherra raised her questioning gaze to her master. "We had a meeting in Dilss yesterday. I was training you, so I didn't go. Grau and Grou went in my stead. Now my "sisters" want to know what happened. That was Xelloss, Beastmaster Zelas-Metallium's general/priest," Grausherra explained. Sherra nodded, still rather distracted by the fact that he had stayed with her last night. She thought that he would have put her to bed after she fell asleep. He stood up. He looked down at Sherra, saying, "We have to continue your training. Go, take a bath and get dressed. We will resume training where we left off yesterday. He teleported away, and Sherra returned to her bedchambers a moment later. She had a sinking feeling that the training was going to get a lot more difficult very, very quickly.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` End of chapter 7.  
  
What a wonderfully long chapter, ne? ^^ I'm proud, two chapters in a row that are 8 pages long...  
  
Phibby: Actually, it's more like seven and a quarter, but who's counting?  
  
::glares at Phibby::  
  
I have a fanart of Sherra that my friends should scan for me within a few days' time. If you would like it, say so in a review and I'll E-mail it to you as an attachment. If it doesn't come within a few days' time, I haven't forgotton; there's just been an unexpected problem. I'll post in my bio any changes. If you have never ventured into my bio, I have my fanfic update status in it too, so if you want to see if I'm going to update anytime soon, check it.  
  
So, what'd you think? I appreciate feedback, in fact, I thrive on it. Suggestions are most welcome. Remember, constructive criticism is welcome as well. If I don't get any reviews, I'm not going to post any more, so please review!!  
  
You know you want to........ 


	8. Training and the Trikster's antics! Wha...

~Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers, nor am I claiming to own any of its characters, settings, etc. besides my version of Grau and Grou. Don't steal them.  
  
Author's Notes of Incoherent DOOM: Dynast was speaking in short, choppy sentences? O.o To be perfectly honest, I'd never noticed before, but it's kind of fitting; he's not very social, after all. ::glares at pre-readers:: . This is the kind of stuff that needs to be caught because I have few spelling and grammar mistakes...::gets out Phibby's soul orbs and grins:: I'll have to give my pre-readers more...incentive...:)  
  
I wrote this at a very fitting time: It was so cold in my living room that I was shivering...O.o OH! I have another character coming in in a chapter or so, and the rating's going to go up, so you can't say that I didn't warn you. Oh, and I DO know what Dynast's beast form looks like and how big it is compared to a human. It's hard to describe. It's like describing Phibby's Mazoku form; I can't do it. My vocabulary isn't large enough. Let's suffice to say that Dy-kun's beast form is vaguely humanoid and very, very, big.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
"....and that's that, for now," Grau finished explaining. The twins had been alternately relaying what had happened with the meeting in Dilss to Xelloss in excruciating detail for the past hour and a half. They didn't need to make an extraordinarily detailed report to their master because of the link they share with him. Xelloss, on the other hand, doesn't have a link with Grau and Grou, so he had to be told what happened. Of course, Xelloss didn't need to know the brand of wine or the texture of the ceiling in the meeting room, but that was Grau and Grou for you. They can be rather....eccentric at times. But then again, no mazoku is completely sane. Not after the first century or so, anyway.  
  
Grau and Grou sat quietly, waiting for Xelloss to spring The Question. He had been holding it in for an hour and a half and was bursting to ask. "I see that Lord Dynast has been rather busy as of late," Xelloss began, in a halfway-nonchalant tone. "Yes, he has," Grou said absently, milking Xelloss' anxiety for all its worth. Xelloss frowned at the two priests. They weren't usually this evasive when questioned. They usually either bluntly told you to mind your own business, or they cheerfully offered up the information.  
  
"So, how long has Sherra been alive?" Xelloss said, getting right to the point. "Hmm...." Grau slipped his hand under his chin, feigning deep thought, "Well...let's see...ummmm.......one day," he said. Xelloss sweat dropped. He had assumed that she was at least a couple of years old. "She's a halfling, too," Xelloss noted. "Yeah," Grou said, "She was reincarnated into a human body right away. Dynast-sama was -really- mad when we found out that she was human. I never saw him that mad before. It was scary."  
  
So. Sherra was a newborn halfling. That meant that she was young and impressionable. Xelloss grinned. This could get interesting. Her being reincarnated and then turned into a Mazoku meant that she has two memory seals on her. Xelloss lacked the power and the desire to break either of them; she didn't remember her past life as a mazoku, so that meant that she probably wasn't as much of a bitch as before.  
  
"I'd be careful if I were you, Lesser Beast," Grau's razor-sharp tone cut through Xelloss' plotting like a knife, "Lord Dynast is even more protective over her than before. You'd best watch your step as far as Sherra-chan is concerned."  
  
Grau had a point. That girl had at least half a dozen barriers around her, some from Lord Dynast, the priests, and even one from Dolgoufa. That wasn't any fun at all for Xelloss. He smiled amiably at the twins. "What makes you suspect me of anything?" he asked innocently.  
  
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Sherra returned to her room, still preoccupied. She sat down on the bed, and absently ran her fingers through her long blue hair. She didn't notice that the bed had been made during her absence from the room. A smug voice brought her out of her reverie, "Where did -you- go last night?" Sherra started, and looked about the room for the source of the voice.  
  
After a moment, she realized that it was Dolgoufa that had addressed her. She stared suspiciously at the sword. She couldn't remember very much of anything at all as far as Dolgoufa or anyone was concerned, but she did remember that she had to be careful around him about something, but couldn't remember what. "Do you remember me?" The sword continued, its voice still tinged with smugness. "Do you remember Grau or Grou? How about Dynast-sama? No? Do you remember Xelloss? Nothing? Not at all?" The sword kept to the people that she had interacted with. Maybe it could jog her memory a bit. It continued when its comments were met with a blank stare.  
  
"You don't remember anything at all, then? The citadel doesn't seem familiar? Not at all? You used to know this place by heart. You could get anywhere by walking. You're sure you don't remember Dynast-sama?" Sherra's eyes glazed over. Now that he mentioned it, she does remember...something about Dynast-sama. She couldn't remember what was being said, or even where it happened. Just that whatever had happened had made her feel happy. Dynast-sama was with her. He was talking to her, and she was very proud of whatever he was saying. Had it been day or night? She couldn't remember...  
  
Sherra suddenly remembered that she had been given orders. She shook her head, trying to push those thoughts away. "Now where are you going?" Dolgoufa asked, curious. "I'm supposed to take a bath and get dressed," said Sherra as she stood. "Well, your clothes are in the dresser and closet, and you already know where the bathroom is," Dolgoufa said as it floated down and came to a rest on her bed. Sherra walked over to the mahogany dresser and pulled open the top drawer. She blinked. It had all kinds of jewelry in it, all arranged by type and style. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and other things that she had neither a name nor a use for.  
  
She slid the drawer closed and went down to the second one. It had pajamas in it. There were ones like the nightdress she was wearing, and flannel ones that buttoned up in the front with matching pants. She rifled through it, and thought that maybe Grau and Grou had picked some of these out for her. She just couldn't see Grausherra-sama giving her pajamas with smiling snowmen on them, or ones with little super-deformed penguins, either.  
  
She found what she was looking for in the third drawer down. She pulled out an outfit similar to the one she had been wearing yesterday, albeit that this one was midnight blue. She walked into the bathroom, and after setting her things down on one of the polished black marble counters, she began to explore the bathroom further. She had a bunch of scented soaps and body washes. She also had the typical shampoos and conditioners, and bath beads and salts as well. They were all in cabinets or shelves, all arranged according to scent. Bath towels, hand towels, this bathroom had everything, not to mention the Jacuzzi-style tub. The theme, like the rest of Sherra's little world, was black with tastefully placed golden accents. She could hear Dolgoufa humming an ancient tune as she closed her bathroom door and prepared her bath.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Xelloss had left, supposedly to confer with Dynast about whatever, and Grau and Grou kept their smiles on until the door closed behind the Lesser Beast. The second that door shut, their countenances changed drastically. Their expressions had hardened considerably, as though they were very displeased at something. "This can't be good," Grau said flatly. "Yes, Xelloss seemed more interested in Sherra-chan than he ought to be," Grou said quietly, "Could you feel his emotions? He cloaked them well, but not well enough."  
  
In truth, Grau and Grou were quite possibly the eldest out of all the Mazoku Priests and Generals. No one was sure if Hellmaster had made his servants first or if Dynast had. That gave them an edge over the others. Xelloss may be the most powerful, but Grau and Grou had far more experience. They also wore masks like Xelloss did, only they didn't take them off when someone other than Lord Dynast or his servants was there. They had disillusioned even Xelloss, though he hadn't brought his guard down much. It's true that the Dark Lords get along fairly well, but how well their servants got along was another story entirely. It was like a race, each party for itself. It was a continuing contest to see whose servants served their masters the best. The Dark Lords themselves paid next to no attention to the little war going on between their underlings, so long as there were no open attacks. A little rumor here, a little manipulation there, a quick play on words, and another battle was started.  
  
The twins were seated on a rug on the floor that lay a few feet from the fireplace. The floor was frosted over, it had been so cold last night. The rug and the floor in the immediate vicinity of the fireplace had defrosted, but the rest of the study was sparkling in the thin sheen of ice. That was alright. Not only did the twins enjoy the cold, but Xelloss loathed being up North for any prolonged amount of time. "We'll need to warn Sherra-chan..." Grau said as he sent out a mental link to the young Mazoku, who was quite content in completely ignoring Grau, seeing as she was half asleep in her bath. "Yes," Grou continued his brother's thought, "Sherra-chan needs to learn how to uphold and defend Lord Dynast's honor and dignity! Knowing her, she'll catch on -real- quick..." The twins sniggered. The two were silent for a few seconds. "Hey...wanna go spy on Xelloss?" "Okay." The twins disappeared in indigo blurs.  
  
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Sherra sighed and leaned back in the tub. She needed this. After a lengthy internal debate, she was now soaking in a rose-scented bubble bath. Her alternative was honeysuckle. Oh, and lavender. And peony. And vanilla. And freesia. She brought one of her hands to eye-level and watched the opalescent beads of water roll off her hand, leaving a soapy film behind. There were mirrors everywhere in the bathroom, and even now she could see her face. She'd already washed her hair and everything. She sank deeper in her bath, troubled by the thoughts coursing through her. This whole thing seemed like a dream; it had a serious sense of déjà vu to her. She knew bits and pieces of information about things. Take Dolgoufa for instance. Her sword was dangerous, there was no doubting that, but there was something else she remembered she should watch out for, but couldn't remember what.  
  
She had met Dynast-sama, and Grau and Grou, and as far as she could tell, they were the only high level Mazoku living in the citadel aside from herself. And yet.....and yet, she couldn't help but feel like there was someone missing. Her thoughts slipped back to her master, they always did. She felt close to him, much closer than she felt with the twins. There was something about him, something about his voice, his gaze upon her, and the way he moved that pulled her in. She couldn't put into words how she felt. Just that it was good. She smiled to herself as she stood and went over to the side of the bath.  
  
This was the part she hated the most: getting out. The frigid cold of the citadel was a considerable contrast to the balmy temperature she had created in her bathroom. With a heavy sigh, she pulled herself out of the tub and grabbed a towel. She caught sight of herself in one of the mirrors. She really wasn't bad looking at all, in fact she thought that she was pretty, but her chest could stand to be bigger. She toweled herself off and proceeded to comb out her hair. It was shiny and silky smooth when dry.  
  
Quickly, she pulled on her pants and sweater, and went into her bedroom to find her boots. Dolgoufa was still lying on her bed. She grabbed a belt and hooked Dolgoufa to it. She clasped the belt around her waist as she slipped her boots on. Pleased that she had finished her task so quickly, she happily walked out of her room and into the hallway.  
  
"Yours is a face I have not been expecting to see again," a voice came from behind her. Startled, Sherra whirled around and faced the owner of the voice. It was that Mazoku man from earlier, Xelloss. Sherra shivered. Her hair was still wet and had made the back of her sweater quite damp. "What do you want?" She said, forcing her voice to stay steady. There was something different about the man, something she didn't like. His voice had changed somehow. It was slightly colder than before.  
  
Xelloss didn't reply to Sherra's question. Instead he simply smiled knowingly and slowly approached the young Mazoku. He gave her a careful look over before commenting, "Your human form is a little different. You're taller now, among other things," Xelloss ended that last thought with a chuckle. Nervously, Sherra backed away from Xelloss. Xelloss let one eye crack open for a split second before musing, "I wonder why he brought you back, though? You were killed in a duel, defeated fair and square. I must admit, it is quite out of Lord Dynast's character to resurrect a servant who failed him so completely." He saw Sherra's confused expression and smiled inwardly. She was so much fun to play with! "What do you mean?" the girl demanded sharply, and for a moment, it was as if she'd never died, that the old Sherra was standing before Xelloss. Moments pass quickly, however, and Sherra quickly resumed her former demeanor.  
  
If Xelloss was startled by Sherra's sudden outburst, he didn't show it. He simply kept smiling. "Aren't you curious why he still wants you around?" he continued, "Lord Dynast doesn't reward failure. Why did he bother to bring you back? Surely you've been wondering...?" Sherra was frozen in place, unable to answer. What was he talking about? Had she failed her master? How? If what he said was true...  
  
"Xelloss!" Grau's voice came ringing down the hall, startling the two Mazoku. "I thought that you went off to speak with Lord Dynast! Did you forget where the throne room is?" Grau and Grou suddenly teleported in between Xelloss and Sherra, making a wall of sorts. Xelloss' countenance slipped for a moment. It annoyed him to no end that those two could still sneak up on him, even after all these centuries. "Actually, no, it isn't necessary," Xelloss replied. He really didn't want to speak with Lord Dynast, particularly if Lord Dynast knew what Xelloss had just done. "I'll be leaving now," he added as he teleported away. The twins looked over at Sherra, who was visibly shaken. "Sherra-chan," Grou began. Sherra looked at him, shaking. "Don't listen to the Lesser Beast. He works through trickery and manipulation. He twists the truth around, makes things seem like one thing when they're really another," he said. Sherra turned away from the twins and teleported, murmuring, "I'm supposed to see Lord Dynast."  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Dynast Grausherra, the most powerful Mazoku on this plane that was still able to move about, was currently seated on his throne, which matched his throne room and the rest of his citadel splendidly. Everything was in good taste, he had seen to that, and nothing was overdone. He was perturbed by what his priests had just reported to him, and the appearance of his very unsettled young General furthered his frustration. Xelloss hadn't given him a headache; he'd given him a migraine. Damn that little pest. But what was done was done, and there was no use dwelling on it.  
  
He turned his attention to his General, who was visibly upset. She'd asked him if she had failed him in her past life, if her death was a result of her failure. This was dangerous ground to tread upon. If she was fully Mazoku, he'd not have been worried, but her human half incapacitated her. She could fall victim to insecurity and self-doubt much more easily than if she was fully Mazoku. If she found out.... Though her death had been honorable, Sherra had always been a perfectionist and that wasn't about to change. He could tell, even now. If she found out that she had failed him, what that would do to her psyche...he couldn't afford to lose her now, not after all he went through to reclaim her.  
  
Grausherra's expression hardened as he said, "What's happened happened and it cannot be changed; it is in the past and will stay there. We need to concentrate on the task at hand: your training." Sherra bowed her head, somewhat relieved. It didn't matter, no, it won't matter what she did. Master wasn't angry with her, and that's all that matters.  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence before the Dynast spoke again, thoughtfully, "Come here, Sherra." Sherra looked up at her master and approached his throne. She hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now that she was up close to it, she could see that it could comfortably seat two people, maybe three. Sherra didn't know what her master's beast form looked like, so she couldn't know that the throne was that big to seat the beast form. He had slid into one of the back corners, and pulled her down to sit in front of him. She didn't understand what he was doing until he informed her that she should have her hair "braided" when she was using her sword. She didn't know what a "braid" was, so she sat still and let Dynast-sama braid it. He showed her how to do it, and advised her to practice braiding later.  
  
After several hours' time of intense sword training Sherra felt as though she was finally getting the hang of it. Grausherra was pleased as well. She was learning quickly, and remembering what she had learned two hours ago. Excellent. Sherra was panting, exhausted with the training. She had been right: her training had gotten a lot harder, but she enjoyed it. Grausherra, however, had barely broken a sweat. "Alright, that's enough for today," he said as he sat in his throne.  
  
"It's time you got some firsthand experience," he continued as he sent out a summons to his priests. Instantly, Grau and Grou appeared. They shot a curious glance to Sherra before turning their attention to their Lord. "Take Sherra to Dilss with you tomorrow; she needs some firsthand experience. You know what to do. You'll depart first thing tomorrow morning," he turned toward Sherra, "Take Dolgoufa with you; you'll need him." Sherra nodded while Grau and Grou bowed and simultaneously said, "Hai, Dynast-sama."  
  
Grausherra dismissed his General and Priests. He sighed and stood. He'd need to confront Beastmaster about this, but not today. His temper was barely in check and he'd probably kill her on sight. That wouldn't bode over well with Lord Ruby-Eye. He hated visiting Beastmaster. As if it wasn't enough that she almost constantly hit on him, but now her minion has to go and harass his. It wouldn't have bothered him as much if Xelloss hadn't put Sherra in such a precarious position. He sighed again. It was getting late. Evening had come and gone. He extended his mind to check on Sherra; she was asleep, and Grau and Grou were preparing for the next morning. Grausherra left the throne room in a black blur. The dawn was swiftly approaching, and even Dark Lords need sleep.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` End Chapter 8. So, how was it? Like it, hate it? Now that you've come this far, review it! Next chapter's going to be interesting to say the least, that I'll guarantee you. 


	9. Enter Grau and Norst! Hey, wait a minute

Disclaimer ~ I don't own Slayers, nor am I claiming to. I own this version of Grau and Grou, the plot, etc. ^.^  
  
Thank you reviewers for your support! You guys make me feel like writing! ^^ I'd have said a lot more a lot sooner, but I can't think in a straight line.  
  
And thank you A-chan for pre-reading it and then telling me that this was perfect even though I know that that's impossible! ^o^  
  
Author's notes: Here I am, chapter nine, and still in the exposition of this story. --;;;; Well, I'm going to introduce two rather important characters here. That's the basic point of this chapter. ^^; Sorry it took so long to update. I went through this thing where I didn't feel at all like writing. Then I wrote my first angst, that one-shot with Phibrizzo. Be afraid, be very afraid...  
  
Anyway, onto Chapter 9!!!!! ^o^  
  
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Late night was slowly melting into early morning. Snow continued to fall, blanketing the previous layer in the harsh whiteness. Not a sound could be heard aside from the wind. It beat ruthlessly against the dark citadel. Its occupants were unconcerned with the wind. It couldn't harm them. In one of the dark rooms, a figure moved restlessly beneath its heavy blanket. The figure was Sherra. She was having another nightmare, though she had no memory of the first. Her inability to completely retreat into the Astral Plane left her restless in her sleep and formulated cruel nightmares drawn from her deepest feelings, brought from her worst fears, woven by her most painful memory.  
  
She strained against her imagined bindings as the sheets tightened around her slender figure. She turned over, tightening the sheets again. She was trapped in her dream, unable to retreat into the cold comfort of reality. Her form was soaked in a cold sweat and her breathing was labored.  
  
She was fighting someone. She couldn't tell who it was. Just that she was fighting, and would die defending whatever it was she was fighting for. She would give her life for him. Him. Dynast-sama. That's who she was fighting for. The person wanted to hurt him. NO! Even as every thread of her being protested, she felt a searing pain slice through her. It was unlike anything else she had ever experienced. It enveloped her, went in her and through her.  
  
With a cry, Sherra sat up sharply in the bed, swaying slightly. She was panting and was covered in a cold sweat. She looked down at her shaking hands and took a deep breath. Even now, she could feel her stronger Mazoku half taking over, suppressing her panic and calming her down. Her hair fell in front of her face, partially obscuring her view behind the azure curls that formed slightly once her hair was clear of her head. She raked her bangs back with one hand, but in vain. Her hair was wild and messy by nature; it just fell back into her face.  
  
She chewed on her lower lip and fingered the hem of her right cuff as her thoughts began to analyze her...nightmare. Even now it was slipping away from her, like water between fingers. She shifted her position and found that she was entangled in her sheets from the waist down. She wriggled her way out of them and smoothed them out.  
  
Sherra sighed and got up. She climbed up onto her windowsill and pulled one of the heavy curtains a little to the side so she could peek outside. There was snow swamping the bottom foot and a half of the window and the part that wasn't snowy was frosted over. She used the cuff of her sleeve to wipe at some of the frost and when it didn't work, her bare palm. That cleared some of the frost, and she could see a little. It was still dark, but the pale hues of dawn were just beginning to color the horizon. Snow fell still.  
  
She slid around and hopped off the windowsill. She cast a glance at the fireplace; embers were smoldering in it, and grabbed Dolgoufa off her vanity. It muttered something about crazy mazoku halflings getting up at the crack of dawn before falling back asleep. Sherra cast her consciousness about, looking for her master. He was nowhere to be found. Nor were the twins. There was, however, a new presence that felt a lot like the twins. Sherra frowned and decided to investigate. She left her room despite Dolgoufa's protests and walked down the hall toward the library, to where the new presence waited.  
  
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'Everything seems to happen in a library,' a young man mused to himself. He looked to be eighteen or nineteen, just a hair older than Dynast's human form. His dark blue hair was messy, and his green eyes were thoughtful as he regarded his cup of tea. It needed sugar. A lot of sugar. It was the bitterest cup of tea he had ever conjured up. He wrinkled his nose with disgust as a couple of sugar cubes appeared in his hand. He dropped them into his tea and watched them disintegrate. He stirred the hot drink with a silver spoon, delicately crafted. He felt his charge awaken. Now she is headed to him, with the sword. He smiled to himself. This was going to be fun. At least she has the sense to bring Dolgoufa with her. He leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea experimentally. It needs lemon now.  
  
Sherra remembered the way to the library and pushed the heavy doors open. She slipped inside and looked around. There was a strange man sitting in one of the armchairs, squeezing lemon into a cup of tea. She approached him slowly. He finished squeezing his lemon before turning to her, teacup in hand, "Sherra-chan! Why aren't you asleep? Do you know what time it is?" Sherra frowned at the man and stopped walking. She was about eight feet away from him. "Where is Dynast-sama?" She demanded. The man chuckled at her, shaking his head slightly. "Don't you remember?" he replied, "Dynast-sama has to go and talk with Lord Beastmaster. He left hours ago."  
  
The young man carefully placed his steaming cup of tea onto a coaster before standing up. He was in pajamas, the same style as Sherra's. Little snowflakes, smiling snowmen on skis. It looked quite ridiculous, actually. He strode forward and put a hand to Sherra's forehead. "Are you feeling alright, Sherra-chan?" He asked her, genuinely concerned. Sherra eyed him suspiciously. He seemed familiar somehow. She was trying to decide if she should back away from him or not when she felt him lead her back toward the table. She sat down, and he sat down across from her.  
  
"Tea?" He asked her. Sherra blinked at him, and he took it as a "yes." A coaster appeared in front of her, shortly followed by a cup, then tea. He took a sip of his own. Sherra merely gazed at her reflection in the dark liquid. "Who are you?" She asked him. The man nearly choked on his tea. He recovered quickly and laughed, "Wow, that spell was worth nothing against your seal, wasn't it? You seriously don't know who I am?" Sherra shook her head slowly. The man regarded her silently, frowning. "I am Grau," he finally said. Sherra nearly fell out of her chair. "W-what?" She stammered. She had heard what he had said loud and clear, but there was no way he was who he claimed to be. Or was there? Grau was laughing again. He was really different from Dynast-sama. He stood up and said, "If you need proof, who else would wear these?" He made a gesture toward his pajamas. He had a point. No other guy she could think of would wear pajamas to match hers. Dolgoufa was laughing at her. Mentally, she scowled at it. How was she supposed to know that that was Grau? "Where's Grou?" Sherra asked him. "I am Grou," Grau replied nonchalantly. Sherra fell over. "WHAT?" "What?" Grau frowned. His tone was confused, but there was amusement dancing in his eyes. He extended a hand down to Sherra, and she took it. He pulled her back up, and they both stood silently. "I am Grau; I am Grou. What's so hard about that?" Sherra didn't have an answer for that one.  
  
He sat back down at the table, and Sherra followed suit. "Well, it looks like you're not going back to bed, and I'm not tired either, so let's discuss our current position," Grau began as he slowly turned his teacup around a few times, slow rotations. He frowned, trying to figure out how to convey this mission's critical importance to Sherra. She was a child, there was no argument there, and didn't quite grasp what her significance in the scheme of things was. To her, her title, the General, was nothing more than a title. She had no idea what an incredible responsibility it was, no idea what horrors it hid. Idly, he wondered when they would get to show her Dirus III in the dungeon. He thought that his cursed form was amusing. Grau looked up at Sherra again, searching her face for an answer that wasn't there. She just blinked at him. He sighed. It had been so long since he had had to deal with a newborn he didn't remember how, and her being a halfling just complicated an already messy situation.  
  
"Dynast-sama taught you the basics on swordplay, yes?" he began. This was as good a place to start as any. "Yes," Sherra said slowly. What was he getting at? "Alright. We are going to depart for Dilss shortly. We'll advance you're training there. We need to perfect your human façade, and the stupefaction spell in that city is so strong that the humans wouldn't notice if you sprouted purple tentacles and started singing a sonnet in B minor," Grau said with a shrug. Never having been trained in music, Sherra didn't follow what Grau was saying and instead of a comprehending nod, she opted for a sweatdrop. "Hmm...Yeah. Those were my orders: 'Advance her training on all angles.' We should leave soon. Go, get ready to go. Meet me in the throne room when you're ready, alright Sherra-chan?" Grau asked. Sherra nodded as she stood. She gave him a short bow as she phased out. Grau blinked, surprised that she remembered to teleport; she had walked to the library. At least Dynast-sama taught her some manners, unlike other....Grau's train of thought faded off as he phased out.  
  
`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
"Do it again!"  
  
The shout rang out through the training hall for seemingly the hundredth time that day. But this time the voice was tinged with impatience. A sort of an uneasy silence fell over the group of strapping young men as they put all of their attention to their training. It was a regiment of the vast army of Dilss. These were new recruits and had started their training only a week ago. When they had first met the General, many had thought that this training would be a pushover. They couldn't be more wrong. Though he looked young, the General was experienced, cold, and dispassionate toward his men. He wouldn't allow complaints. One man had wrought up the courage to challenge the general nearly a month ago. He had been killed in the swordfight that ensued. Judging by the rumors, the young soldier didn't stand a chance; the fight was over in a second. News flies quickly, and every man in this regiment was aware of the General's ability with the sword. They had had a short demonstration with a particularly difficult move, but the Lieutenant was mostly taking care of the training. He mirrored the General in disposition. It was the boot camp of all Boot Camps, and there was no backing out.  
  
"No! You'll all do it perfectly, or you won't be dismissed! Do it AGAIN!"  
  
And to think that this was one of his better moods. The General sighed and flipped his long, blue braid behind him. Again. One of the soldiers approached him from behind and gave a short bow before speaking, "Norst- sama, Minister Grau has returned and requires your presence." In truth, only about 85% of the troops were actually human. Dilss had a very high Mazoku concentration, not that the humans knew this. Norst turned his head slightly and glared at the servant, light glinting off his steel-rimmed specs. He turned his attention to the troops, and then to his Lieutenant, who was returning the gaze expectantly. "Keep them on schedule. I'll get back to you later," he said as he turned on one heel and walked smoothly out of the room. His Lieutenant didn't know what was going on, but didn't question Norst-sama's orders.  
  
Norst walked quickly along the corridor. Grau had arrived an hour or so ago; he'd felt him phase in, but waited for a summons. After all, there was no point in trekking all the way down there only to find that he wasn't needed. Slowly, he let his façade slip. He didn't need his uptight General mask to talk to Grau. And Sherra-chan. He'd brought her along, too. Norst knew that his Lord had every intention of resurrecting Sherra, and he evidently had. He ignored the lesser Mazoku patrolling the halls as he passed. They all bowed respectfully to their superior, never once actually looking at him. It was the polite thing to do, and you don't want a Mazoku stronger than you ticked at you.  
  
He always ignored them. Unless he needed them for something, they were worthless. Now that he thought about it, the humans were worthless as well. Their lives were so short, so pointless. They were created for no purpose. None whatsoever. In fact, the only thing they were good for was for manipulation and feeding purposes. Fodder. They were fodder, every last one. 'Yes,' Norst mentally resolved, 'that must be their purpose, then. Fodder for the Mazoku race.' He nodded to himself in self-agreement as he came upon the large, heavy double doors that marked Lord Dynast's private wing of the castle. Only Lord Dynast and his direct subordinates were allowed in, ever. No exceptions were ever made. If, say, the Lieutenant wanted something, he'd have to contact Norst and soon Sherra mentally and wait until they had time for him.  
  
Of course, none of the humans were aware that their King was actually Dynast Grausherra. Norst opened the double doors and entered a hall. It was modeled after the halls in the Northern Base. The slam of the heavy doors behind Norst echoed heavily against the granite walls of the corridor.  
  
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The slam was Sherra's first clue that someone was coming. Grau silently noted that she preferred to use her physical senses rather than her astral. That wasn't good. A sound means nothing. It doesn't tell whether friend or foe is approaching. Grau sighed and psyched himself up for what was about to transpire. Cold and ruthless in public, Norst was a completely different person with Mazoku he was comfortable with. Nearly a polar opposite to his façade, actually. Sherra was looking at him questioningly. He didn't respond to her.  
  
It was at that moment that Norst strode into the room. His physical form was a modified male version of Sherra's. Today, anyway. Norst liked to change forms. This was his "general" form. He was a bit taller than Grau, with long blue hair swept neatly back into a braid. His bangs were parted at the center and his hair was generally longer than Sherra's. His hair was the same color as Sherra's, and his eyes were the same pale green, but his gaze was far colder than hers. He had on steel rimmed specs, and the uniform of the General. All in all, an impressive figure.  
  
Sherra was watching this strange man guardedly. He seemed familiar, but judging by the way Grau was glaring at him, she shouldn't trust him. Grau spoke first.  
  
"You're late."  
  
"I'm not and you know it."  
  
"Yes you are; you could've teleported!"  
  
"How does that make me late?! I wasn't given a time limit!"  
  
Norst turned away from the glowering Priest to Sherra and said brightly, "Sherra-chan! It's about time Dynast-sama brought you over! I was beginning to worry." He went up to her and hugged her as he said this. Sherra blinked twice and then...  
  
WHAP!  
  
"What the bloody hell is the matter with you?!"  
  
Grau brandished his staff threateningly at Norst, "Don't play innocent!"  
  
"What do you mean, 'don't play innocent!'? I didn't do anything!"  
  
"You grabbed her butt!" Grau pointed accusingly at Norst, "I knew you were gonna try your hentai crap on her!"  
  
"..I did not!"  
  
"Yes you did!"  
  
In her mind, Dolgoufa was cracking up. Sherra just blinked at the two of them. Grau was trying to hit Norst with his staff again. Her mind pretty much wiped clean of human society, she didn't quite understand what they were arguing over.  
  
"ANYWAY," Norst said this pointedly, glancing over toward the thoroughly confused Sherra. Grau got the point and the two of them shelved this argument for later.  
  
"Right, right. Our new assignment," Grau began, "We have to train Sherra and get her used to acting human."  
  
"I already figured as much," Norst said boredly. He walked over to the window and looked out. It was summertime in Dilss, and though compared to the rest of the world the summers were cool, summertime as it is known doesn't exist in the Northern Footholds. It was a flat, boring, year-round winter. The window had exquisitely crafted stained glass near the top, in a geometric pattern. Dilss had prospered under their Master's care, surprising as it may seem. Dynast obviously knew what he was doing.  
  
He tugged at a cuff of his heavy coat. He wasn't hot; he could regulate his body temperature. It was a habit, he had been doing this human charade for so long. Grau's voice came from behind him, crisp and matter-of-fact,  
  
"You'll be doing swordplay and her defenses. Get her off her physical senses; they're useless to her. I'll be teaching teleportation and levitation and manipulation, stuff like that. We split human mannerisms. Lord Dynast will touch up her training in whatever area he deems necessary. Got it?"  
  
"Mm-hmm..." Norst said as he turned to face his colleagues. Sherra had seated herself on a couch and Grau was glaring at him. "How old is she?" he asked. "Hmm.. about three days," came Grau's thoughtful answer. "That's it? Three days?!" What was Dynast-sama thinking, letting her out when she's that young?? No wonder she's so clueless. When he had first created Sherra, she wasn't allowed out of her chambers for a couple of months. Dynast had fed her and taught her in there, but he and Grau hadn't been allowed in until she was allowed out. Now he does this. Norst shook his head, slightly amused.  
  
"I have to go and continue with my duties, whatever they may be this time," Norst sighed when the Lieutenant contacted him mentally, but not before experimentally prodding at Sherra in the Astral Plane. She had poked him back, and the Lieutenant recoiled and assumed a more respectful way to contact her when he figured out who she was.  
  
Norst left the room, and Grau closed the door behind him before sighing, "That went better than expected." Sherra was silently watching him from her seat on the sofa. 'At least she has good posture,' Grau noted. She was sitting up, and her hands were neatly folded on her lap. She was watching him, her eyes full of inquisition. "Norst is the General under you, Sherra-chan," Grau explained, "He's always been older than you, but Dynast gave you more power, for whatever reason. He's in charge of the armies while you're in charge of our Lord's protection." Sherra nodded, still silent.  
  
`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Saying that he was exasperated was a serious understatement. Dynast Grausherra was bordering on being -angry-, something which rarely ever happened. He had been putting up with Zelas' excuses for Xelloss, and her constant hitting on him for several hours now. He glared at the Beastmaster and with an air of finality, he coldly stated, "Take care that you or yours does not interfere with my plans or with what's mine," his head raised a fraction of an inch before continuing, "Or you will have more dire consequences to deal with."  
  
It wasn't a threat; it was a mere fact, at least, that's how Grausherra saw it. He teleported out. Zelas-Metallium stared thoughtfully at where her brother had been standing moments before. She re-crossed her legs and chewed on the end of her cigarette absentmindedly. So. He was going to be like -that-. She would have to change her strategy, then. And be careful about it. Dynast's patience with her was already precariously thin. Mentally, she summoned Xelloss.  
  
`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` ::several hours later::  
  
Sherra was sitting alone in the library, reading a book. It was in the written language of the Mazoku, so no human could read it. Her Lord, Grau had explained, had implanted the necessary information in her so she could read it without any lessons. She didn't understand how Lord Dynast had done that, but she accepted what Grau had said as truth. The book was going over some basic strategy principles and basic guidelines to how humans thought. She was completely engrossed in the book and had tuned out all outside stimuli.  
  
She didn't notice when her master teleported into the room, nor did she notice the shing of the metal against its scabbard as he drew his sword. It wasn't until the cold point of the blade was against the back of her neck that she realized that she wasn't alone. She froze, and Grausherra removed his sword and returned it to its sheath. She turned to face him. "Pay attention to the things around you, Sherra. What would you have done if it hadn't been me wielding that blade?" he asked. She hung her head, her eyes obscured by her hair. "I will try to be more attentive, my Lord," she whispered. Grausherra nodded. "Use the Astral Plane to your advantage. Through it, you can distinguish friend from foe much more quickly," he advised. "Yes, my Lord," she said, looking up at him.  
  
He seated himself on a couch across from where Sherra had been sitting. She shifted the huge tome off her lap. After minute or so of silence, she asked, "What's up with Grau..?" He looked up at her, "You mean how he can be two people at once? He has multiple personalities. The result is that he has two distinct physical forms when he's on the physical plane. If he concentrates hard enough, he can remain in a single adult form." Sherra nodded, sporting a slight sweatdrop.  
  
Twilight was falling. Sherra watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon, coloring the sky with a fiery glow. She silently watched the fire in the sky recede, turning into a dim glow, and then nothing as night swept over the land. Her Lord had begun to sift through papers and sign this and discard that. Silently, she watched him. He had an odd way of teaching her. He used practical situations rather than to lecture. She could feel herself beginning to nod off.  
  
"Shouldn't you be going to bed?"  
  
That comment snapped Sherra out of her reverie. "Of course," she replied, standing.  
  
"When you get into the hall, the first room to your left is where you'll be sleeping."  
  
"Yes, my Lord," she said as she gave a little bow. Silently, she left the library.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
She stepped into the dark hall. It was completely silent. She was barefoot, but the icy cold floor didn't burn her feet. She went into the bedroom and found her pajamas already laid out on the bed. These were a bit different than the ones at home. They were a lot lighter, in fabric and in color. It was a light blue button-down front with short sleeves and matching shorts. She hopped into the bed. It was way bigger than the one at home. Three people could lay on their backs in a row and still have room to spare. There was a canopy over it, with thick black curtains falling around all four sides. With a slight sigh, she laid down on her side. She was asleep within minutes.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Grau and Norst had settled out their differences as they always did. After all, a little sparring match never hurt anyone. Not lethally, anyway. They were in Grau's study playing chess. They'd felt their Lord's return, and were waiting to see if he needed them.  
  
"Checkmate," Grau said smugly.  
  
Norst glared at him, "Just you wait."  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Fin.  
  
That's all for Chapter 9! ^^ Wow, I didn't have to confuse myself this time with Grau and Grou. If you were a bit attached to the child forms, don't worry; they'll be back. They always come back. Sorry it takes so long for me to update. I hope the length makes up for it a bit. So, what'd ya think? Love it or hate it, please give me some feedback. Remember, if you no review, I no update. Advice/suggestions that don't pertain to Grau using the Dynast Breath in chapter 2 (?) are most welcome. ^o^ Thanks for reading! 


	10. Hungrywhy wait? Snack on some human emo...

~Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers. Never did, never will unless something entirely unexpected was to happen. Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi (spelling may be off, sorry) own Slayers. I DO own this story, its plot, and my versions of Grau and Grou. :D  
  
~Author's Notes: umm...yay? I updated. I'm not exactly planning what's going to happen here; I just write as it comes to me and the thing fits like a jigsaw puzzle. I'm happy it's working out like this. Mind, everything you read here about Mazoku is a deduction I made and is believable, but not necessarily true. In my opinion, the only person who could write any Slayers story completely in-character is Mr. Kanzaka. And I am definitely not him.  
  
On with the chapter, yes?  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"The feeling is mutual, believe you me."  
  
Grau smirked at his brother and brought his staff into a defensive position as Norst charged him. Both of them were fully trained and each could barely deflect the other's blows. Norst managed to clip Grau with his sword when Grau's defensive position was weakened as he recovered his stance. Grau's reflexes were quick, and he slammed the butt of his staff hard into the pit of Norst's stomach. Norst jumped back a good fifteen feet, coughing. He kept up a defensive stance, however; a little blow like that wouldn't make Grau want to stop, nor did Norst want to.  
  
Within a few moments' time, Norst had recovered. Of course, those few moments were just what Grau needed to cast a spell and fire it at his colleague. Norst swore softly and teleported to avoid the attack. He reappeared behind Grau and struck him with the sword, or he would have had Grau not turned just a moment before and blocked with his staff.  
  
It was at this time that they both stopped the fight, or rather, the training session. Norst used the inertia of the blocked blow to jump back, landing neatly on his feet. The two glared at each other for a moment more. In the distance, the bells for one of the many churches in Dilss chimed the hour -- four A.M.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Being up so incredibly early may seem crazy, but seeing as Mazoku rarely sleep, it really isn't surprising. Sherra was already awake. As her human half succumbed to the Mazoku half's influences, she found herself able to stay up longer. Any sort of worries or doubts she had had three days ago had dissipated to a low murmur of unimportance. Her main focus now was to please her Lord, and to do that she had to get trained as quickly as possible.  
  
She was sitting up in bed, stretching tiredly. She got up and took her bath. Still half-asleep, she slung a belt around her waist at an angle and hooked Dolgoufa to it. He seemed to like this awakening time much better than yesterday's. She walked into the hall and looked around. It was empty, but she could hear voices coming from a room two doors down.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm fine." That was said though gritted teeth.  
  
"Judging by that pain you're radiating, I would have to disagree with you."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
Recognizing the voices to belong to Grau and Norst, Sherra walked into the room. They blinked up at her. Norst seemed perturbed by something, while Grau was smirking smugly.  
  
"What's up?" She asked them. "Norst and I were training and he los-" Grau was cut off by Norst's hurried, "Nothing! Not at all!" He got up and glared pointedly at his "brother." "Sore loser," Grau muttered under his breath. Sherra blinked at the two of them.  
  
"Anyway," Norst said, "we have things to do, humans to antagonize. Grau, I believe that it's your turn to train Sherra right now, so I'll be off." He teleported away as he finished the sentence.  
  
"Well!" Grau exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he stood. "It looks like it's you and me today, Sherra-chan. Shall we begin?" He smiled at her and walked out the door, clearly intending her to follow. And so she did.  
  
"Today I'm going to show you how to act human and how to use the humans," he said. Grau was way too bright and cheery for this early in the morning.  
  
He stopped before the double doors as they swung open of their own accord. He walked through the threshold and Sherra followed suit.  
  
~`~`~`~`  
  
Sherra remembered humans. Sort of. She could remember mannerisms and how to act a little, but as for her human life, she was drawing a complete blank. Her memory felt like a black void.  
  
As she and Grau passed through the doors she noted the guards. All Mazoku.  
  
They passed another set of doors and entered the main portion of the castle. In sharp contrast to Dynast's private wing, the castle was primarily white. There were carvings here and there of cherubs and plant life and the occasional gargoyle, depending on the theme of the hall. The carvings were well-kept but very old. It got to feel like a musty museum in many of the halls.  
  
All the while, Grau had been instructing her on how to act and how to think. His tone of voice implied to the casual passers-by that he was chattering away on everything and nothing.  
  
Of course, everything he said made perfect sense to Sherra in a twisted way. She understood how humans thought, being half-human herself, and she could see where windows of opportunity would open for her to take control of the situation in such a way that the human would be completely oblivious. This was going to be fun.  
  
"Well," Grau smirked, "the only reason you would be doing stuff like this now is if you wanted something. Try doing it when Dynast-sama lets you into the marketplace. Start acting cute--it shouldn't be hard for -you- to do--and guys will go outta their way to please you. Trust me. It was one of your specialties. Once we go back to our wing I'll show you all the jewelry you'd conned out of guys." Grau smirked at the memory, "You have a small fortune in trinkets guys bought for you."  
  
They had stopped walking by now and were facing each other in conversation. Servants and the occasional maid walked briskly past, barely paying any attention to either of them.  
  
"I have an idea. Why don't you wander around and become acquainted with this palace? It'd be a good opportunity for you to practice, too. Just remember: if you get lost, you can always teleport." With that, Grau teleported away, leaving Sherra alone in the corridor.  
  
She hadn't been expecting that. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She had suspected that he'd do something like that, but hadn't really expected him to. "So what now?" That question was meant to be rhetorical, but it received an answer nonetheless. "Go and find someone to manipulate," Dolgoufa said in a helpfully sarcastic manner. "To do what?" Sherra asked, a bit confused as to what she was supposed to do, exactly. Dolgoufa didn't have an answer for the unexpected question.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
Grau smiled. He was in one of his private chambers, one that he had taken to calling his Scrying Room for reasons obvious; he scryed in this room. He was sitting in a black plush chair. It was old-fashioned. If a human was to sit in it, they would dub it "impossibly uncomfortable" and quickly proceed to burn it and any other piece of furniture similar to it in a large bonfire. Of course, the chair was made of Grau himself, in much the same way that Xelloss' staff was a part of Xelloss. Grau made the chair comfortable to only himself so when Norst was in the room with him, he wouldn't steal his favorite chair.  
  
But back to the matter at hand. Sherra had taken her temporary abandonment well. The girl had a level head. Most humans would panic in a situation like Sherra was in, but then again, Sherra wasn't human, not completely. He wasn't so sure if it was a good idea to be asking Dolgoufa for directions, though. The sword would purposely get her lost just for the fun of it.  
  
Grau leaned back in his chair and smiled. At least he would have amusement for a little while.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
"Go and find someone to manipulate."  
That wasn't very hard to do, but manipulate them to do what? That's what Sherra couldn't figure out. She didn't want anything from them, so why bother? It was the idea of practicing, she supposed, that was the point here. Sherra blinked as she remembered something Dynast-sama had said. Something about manipulating to feed. She could put THAT into practice, without a problem. Her incentive renewed, Sherra wandered down the halls.  
  
And out of the castle.  
  
"Dynast-sama never said that I can't leave the castle," She reminded herself, if only to reassure her decision. Okay, so she didn't quite make it out of the actual grounds. She found herself in an expansive rose garden, the roses in the height of their bloom. This may seem incredibly cliché, but what's the point of including a rose garden if the roses aren't even in bloom?  
  
It was all very pretty, and many would think that such a lovely, peaceful sight would make a Mazoku sick. Not true. Only genuine, potent positive emotions can make a Mazoku experience its own version of nausea, and it would have to be a particularly weak Mazoku who would succumb to it. Most would keep their façade going strong. Xelloss would exaggerate it to make his enemy think him weak.  
  
There was a circle of girls sitting on little benches in a patio, all decked out in expensive-looking silken gowns. Typical upper-class snobs. Sherra could see even from this distance that their faces were covered in make-up to cover blemishes. Any heavier and it would be caked to their faces. A couple of the girls were fanning themselves, commenting on how incredibly hot it was. It served them right. Dressing that heavily when it was "hot" out was just stupid. Sherra hadn't noticed it being particularly hot or cold today, either.  
  
Her interest piqued, Sherra walked a little closer to the girls and climbed a tree. She watched them from up there, concealed by the foliage. She hadn't been particularly subtle about climbing the tree; she could have teleported. She should have teleported. Nevertheless, the girls hadn't noticed her presence. Sherra felt a sudden wave of repugnance for the girls. She could feel their emotions clashing like oil and water. As they chattered, they put each other down, some more subtly than others. She dubbed this as being a fairly decent meal and settled down to watch.  
  
"She said that? I don't believe it!" One of the girls squealed.  
  
Sherra rolled her eyes. Gossip. What a useless bunch of coquettes. Their moods, however, were serving as a snack.  
  
"Well, I heard that the King has a new guest staying in his private wing. And that it's a girl." Another girl spoke up, her voice nasally. Sherra perked up at that. News travels quickly. She wasn't so sure if the humans were supposed to know she was there. Sherra felt a wave of repulsive distaste coming off the girls. They began to whisper amongst themselves. Sherra needed only to catch the word "scandal" to get the gist of what they were so excited over.  
  
The King was at the marrying age and every girl in the castle, be it a maid or the daughter of a nobleman, knew very well how hot he was. And don't get them started on the General. The General was far easier to get at than the King. He slept around. The King, on the other hand, didn't show any intent on marrying within this millennium. But if there was a girl staying as a guest in the wing that only the King, his commanding General, and the high Priest were ever allowed in or out of...the implications were obvious.  
  
Starting to get slightly annoyed, Sherra climbed down out of the tree. She had a mind to let Dolgoufa have a taste of their blood for implying such a thing. She didn't completely understand exactly what was "scandalous", but they were not helping her Lord's honor. That was, in Sherra's book, enough to warrant a death sentence. Her anger was escalating quickly.  
  
"Whoa, Sherra, calm down!" Dolgoufa's telepathic voice rang cold and clear, cutting through the fiery haze of her mounting anger. As her servant, he couldn't disobey her; if she wanted to kill he couldn't remove himself from her possession. But killing here and now was most definitely NOT a good idea. Dolgoufa only had to gather his thoughts for a fleeting moment before he had a plan formulated to calm her.  
  
"What would Dynast-sama think if he heard that you were endangering his cover?"  
  
That effectively doused the flame. It worked with all the Priests and Generals; they won't act, after all, if it wouldn't please their Master.  
  
Sherra took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. A breeze blew by and a few rose petals were carried on its breath.  
  
"You're right," she said softly, eyeing the girls with open abhorrence. "I have to think of a different way of doing this."  
  
Dolgoufa gave her a mental nod.  
  
She sat down in the grass, thinking. If she couldn't hit them physically, she'd have to go after them mentally and emotionally. This wasn't an area that Dynast-sama had even touched upon. Right. So.... She frowned, having come up empty.  
  
"You'll have to observe them," a voice rang softly in her mind, its tone helpful.  
  
"Watch and learn. What do they like? What do they take pride in? Strip them of their pride and confidence. You have it better than them. You know more. Show them this. Do it slowly. Do it subtly. Haste makes waste, and things like this can't be undone. Think about it. Put thought into your efforts. Formulate a plan and predict what they'll do when they'll do it based on your observations of them. Then...execute your plan." She could hear the voice's soft smile. She recognized who it was.  
  
"Thank you, Grau," she thought, directed at him.  
  
Smiling, Sherra stood. At least she found some people to practice on. Only she had no intention of leaving it as just practice. No, this would be for real. And she would break them.  
  
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`  
  
And I endeth here. It's a bit shorter than the previous chapters, but continuing would make this chappie insanely long. ^^  
  
Love it? Abhor it? Either way, drop me a suggestion/comment/criticism via review!  
  
You know you want to... 


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